Shadowfox
by Sakura Hanamoto
Summary: After 12 long years Hinari returns to her village to defend it to her last against Orochimaru's armies! New characters, new personalities, new allies, and a chance to rebuild old relationships. Rated for lang., violence, and minor sexual refs.
1. Chapter 1: Return

Shadowfox

Chapter 1

Sakura Hanamoto

"So, let me get this straight, a girl with white hair fell from the sky with a spear, and speared everyone in the carriage, and even cut the horses free with spears of ice." The investigator questioned the distraught man. With each point he illustrated, the man nodded.

"Yes, that's right, and her eyes, her eyes were of the coldest, iciest blue you could imagine. It was like staring an enormous glacier in the face!" The man grabbed the investigator's jacket. The investigator forced the man to release him.

"Look, we've been getting reports like these for the past month; we've found absolutely no evidence whatsoever to find the culprit. The spears of ice have no fingerprints, and they don't melt or anything. We've got nothing, there's nothing we can do anyway. So just put it behind you."

"But-but-," The man reached out for the investigator, but he stopped when he felt something pass through his body, he stared in horror at the sight of a spear of ice sticking out of his body. The investigator looked about to see a silhouette of a girl, maybe only fourteen standing on the roof of a nearby building. The investigator reached into his jacket and pulled out a pistol. But before he could fire a shot, the girl leapt into the air and called out something in a foreign language.

"Hyouton: Kaori no Kyouja no Jutsu!" She thrust her spear forward and a spear of ice was fired at him from the wooden spear, it pierced through his chest and stuck into the ground behind him, his feet held up a few inches off the ground. The girl landed on the ground and sighed.

"Did you have to kill him?" A voice spoke behind her. She turned to see a boy behind her.

"Of course I did 'nii-chan!" She said. "He was a witness, they can't live." She answered.

"I told you not to."

"But I had to!"

"I'm older by two years; you're supposed to listen to me when Shishou isn't around." He retorted. The girl just stuck her tongue out at him. She reached for the spearhead and unscrewed it and stuffed it into a large pouch strapped to her belt. Then, she disassembled the shaft and shoved each foot long section into small loops attached to a strap at her left thigh. Giving her brother a look of contempt she walked away. "Hey, Yukina! Wait up!" He ran to catch up to her.

XxXxXxX

She sat at the bar, occasionally glancing at the man beside her. He was rather drunk, mostly thanks to her.

"You sure you're eighteen?" The man asked her.

"Of course I am." She reassured him with a smile. 'Pedo, but your demise will be fun.' Flicking her thick ponytail of auburn hair over her shoulder, she discreetly slipped her hand into her pocket and drew out a small packet. Opening it, she lifted the bottle of rum. "More?" She asked him.

"Sure!" He laughed and turned to the man on his other side. This gave her the chance she needed. She slipped some finely ground powder into the bottle and gave it a quick swirl and poured the rum for him.

_"Oi! Silent Strike, hurry it up!"_ A male voice spoke through the small earpiece she wore.

"Shut up, I'm almost done." The man lifted the mug of rum and drank it. He put the mug down and stopped moving. He twitched several time before falling from the bar stool. The girl opened her mouth and screamed, feigning her innocence like a well trained actor.

'He-he's dead!" She cried. Everyone in the bar rushed forward to see. She slipped back and ran out of the bar before anyone noticed. She pressed a finger to her earpiece.

"Silent Strike to Shishou, do you copy?"

_"I copy Silent Strike. Report?"_

"Mission accomplished. I'm heading back. Over." With that, the fifteen year old girl slipped into the dark of night.

XxXxXxX

"Shishou, when are we going back East?" The boy asked.

"Soon Hyourinmaru, don't worry." His teacher responded.

"Yeah, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Yukina asked.

"Because I don't like this place!" He answered. "We were better off on our continent. Everything here is too loud, and half the carriages here don't have horses. It freaks me out."

"Shishou, when we do leave, where will we go?" The auburn-haired girl asked.

"We're headed for Fire Country." Their teacher answered. "We'll take a few more jobs on our way there so that we don't go broke, but once we reach Konoha, the mercenary life is our past." She said. The three students nodded.

"Shishou, you're from Konoha right? Do you think we'll run into anyone you know there?" The red-head asked.

"Without a doubt Natsuhime, without a doubt."

XxXxXxX

Haruka sat inside the carriage nervously. The Daimyo's son Hideki had done nothing but stare at her. She really didn't like it. She fingered the sash of the Twelve Guard Ninjas of Fire. She'd joined when one of them retired when she was eighteen. By then she had already become a jounin, and had felt like she needed a change. So, despite her oldest brother's protests, she traveled all the way to the capital to join. She glanced up at Hideki, who gave her a look she didn't much like, and finally, she stuck her head out the window to speak to the man that sat next to the driver.

"Sempai, can we switch yet?" Haruka asked.

"No,"

"But, why not?"

"You called me 'sempai'."

"What does that have to do with it? I'm only showing proper respect." Haruka's partner sighed.

"Haruka, we've been working together since you were eighteen right?" Haruka nodded. "Then, you should be comfortable enough with just calling me Mamoru." Mamoru explained.

"But, Hideki-sama has done nothing but stare at me!" Haruka hissed. Mamoru sighed.

"Fine, we'll switch, but only if you swear to never call me 'sempai' again."

"Deal." Haruka pushed the door to the carriage open and hung out the door until Mamoru clambered inside. Haruka sat down beside the driver. "I like this much better." She said as she took a deep breath. 'Finally, Hideki-sama think he can have any woman he wants just because he's the Daimyo's son.' She thought bitterly.

XxXxXxX

The carriage was stopped at the gate by a chuunin. "I'm sorry but you will have to continue on foot from here." He said. Haruka nodded and jumped down from her seat and opened the door.

"We're hear Mamoru, Hideki-sama." She said. Mamoru stepped out first and waited for Hideki. Hideki wrinkled his nose at the sight of the dirt road he'd have to walk on.

"Come, Hideki-sama, we were told to meet with the Hokage as soon as we arrived." Mamoru said, indicating the way to the Tower.

"Must I walk the whole way?" He asked.

"Yes, unfortunately, we cannot take the carriage the rest of the way." Haruka said.

"Well, if I must." Hideki walked along, obviously, none too happy with the arrangements.

Soon they reached the tower, and that also meant the ridiculous amount of stairs they'd have to climb.

"I never liked these stairs." Mamoru muttered, Haruka was in agreement. "This way Hideki-sama." The three walked up the staircase, stopping several times for Hideki to catch his breath. Once they finally reached the top they walked down the hall to the Hokage's office. Mamoru knocked.

"Come in." Haruka opened the door and Hideki entered first. His two guards flanking him. Haruka closed the door, and both guards took up a post on either side of the door. "Ah, Hideki-sama, welcome to Konoha." Konohamaru began.

"Yes, yes, yes, let's just get this over with." Hideki snapped unhappily. Konohamaru sigh.

"Now then, we have been receiving many reports that Orochimaru is preparing to march on Konoha."

"And?"

"Oh well, if he does, there is a possibility that Konoha cannot survive the attack, and Fire Country will be open to an invasion by any other country."

"Then I trust you won't fail." Konohamaru sighed.

'May his father live for much longer. I fear that this man will be a terrible daimyo.' He thought sullenly.

"Is that all?" Hideki asked standing up.

"Oh, yes, we will meet once more tomorrow with the clan heads of the village." Konohamaru told him.

"Of course." Hideki gave him a sour smile and walked away with very little consideration. Haruka and Mamoru bowed to Konohamaru and followed Hideki out.

XxXxXxX

Arashi crouched among the bushes and watched the enemy camp carefully. 'So this is the advance army? They look like a bunch of morons.' She thought. 'I shouldn't underestimate them though.' The twenty-seven year old moved from the bush to rejoin the other three members of her team.

"What's the situation Taichou?" Satoko asked.

"There's at least six score of them." Arashi reported to her. "Hitomi, keep an eye out for any unusual movement." Arashi ordered.

"Right." Hitomi moved though the shadows quietly. 'Byakugan.' She activated her Byakugan to its fullest extent and watched the camp below, as well as the surrounding area. After several minutes of nothing, a thick mist settled around the area. Hitomi pumped more chakra to her eyes, but she couldn't see through the mist. She ran back to Arashi and Satoko. "Taichou, someone's used the Kirigakure no Jutsu." She reported.

"What?"

"But, I saw absolutely nothing." Hitomi added.

"What are our orders Taichou?" Satoko asked.

"We stay here until it clears, moving out could get us killed." Arashi answered.

'Onii-chan, I hope you don't get killed down there.' Satoko thought nervously.

XxXxXxX

A man of about twenty-four cried out as another one of his fingers was broken.

"Tell me, who has been conducting the investigation on Orochimaru-sama the past twelve years?" A gruff man asked. The younger man smirked.

"Your mother." He answered insolently.

"Why you-!" The man was about to strike him again when a sentry burst into the tent.

"Sir! We're under attack!"

"Konoha?" The man asked.

"No, the Shadowfox Squad!" He answered just as a spear of ice ran through his body. The man knocked the younger one to the ground and ran out of the tent, only to have his head bashed in by a war hammer. Two kids burst through the door. Both had snow white hair and icy blue eyes.

"Shishou, we found a captive, what do you want us to do with him?" The boy spoke through an earpiece and microphone he wore.

_"Do you know if he's an enemy to Konoha?" _

"He's wearing the Konoha forehead protector."

_"Bring him with you."_ The boy nodded. He saw that the man was conscious.

"We'll be back in a bit." He said and ran out of the tent.

XxXxXxX

Natsuhime moved through the army of Oto-nin, cutting them down quickly with her bladed tonfas. She smiled and ducked under one man's attempt to take her head off with a short sword, she retaliated with a quickly slice to his neck, slitting his throat cleanly.

"You can't catch me! You can't catch me!" She taunted a few other shinobi. She kept on slashing quickly; taking all of them out with a single hit each, aiming for vital spots on their bodies.

XxXxXxX

Hyourinmaru raised his war hammer high above his head and slammed it into the ground. "Take this!" As his hammer made contact with the ground huge pillars of ice rose up to strike anyone who was too slow to get out of the way in time. He swung his hammer around and smashed the head into a man's chest, crushing his chest cavity.

XxXxXxX

Yukina reached for the six sections to her staff and snapped them together quickly. Reaching into her pouch she pulled out the head of a halberd and screwed it onto the top of the staff and swinging the seven and a half foot pole arm around and ran three Oto-nin through with it.

"Heh, this is too much fun!" She cried, tucking her white hair behind her ears. An Oto-nin came in from behind to strike her with a katana, but from her shoulders and back, ice shot out to stab him in the heart. "Feel the cold bite of the Kaori Kanman. The kekkei genkai of the Takeda clan!" She roared as she spun on her heel and hit anyone that got too close.

XxXxXxX

The teacher ran through the camp, surveying the damage that her students had done. Yukina was about to finish an Oto-nin off but her teacher stayed her hand.

"Wait, we can leave her as a messenger to Orochimaru." She said. Yukina nodded and let the frightened woman go. The teacher grabbed the woman by the collar of her shirt. "Tell your master that the Shadowfox Squad is back in Fire Country, and we aren't gonna let him do what he wants to Konoha. If he wants that village, then he's gotta go through me. Tell him; tell him that Uzumaki Hinari lives." She growled into the woman's ear. "Understood?" The woman nodded and Hinari released her. The woman ran off.

"Was it such a good idea to reveal your name Shishou?" Yukina asked.

"It's fine; I've been a thorn in Orochimaru's side since I was twelve. He probably relaxed when he figured out that I was gone, but now he's got a reason to be scared." Hinari told her student. "Now, where is this captive Demolition Drive mentioned?" She asked.

"This way, is the mission still on?" Yukina asked.

"Yes, it's on until we leave the battlefield." Hinari answered. Hinari followed Yukina to the largest tent in the entire camp. She pushed the flap aside and stepped in. Hinari knelt by the now unconscious man and cut his bonds away. She gave him a quick look over. "Hmm, most of his fingers are broken; he's got cuts and scratches all over, and possibly more injuries. Go find a stretcher; it's the safest way to transport him." Hinari ordered. Yukina nodded and rushed off. She told Hyourinmaru and Natsuhime what Hinari had said, and the two older kids helped her find a stretcher. Once they did, they rushed back to the tent.

"Do you know him Shishou?" Natsuhime asked.

"Not sure yet, but judging by the scars on his face," she pointed to the left side of his face. "This is Uchiha Takuro."

XxXxXxX

As soon as the mist cleared and the sun rose, Arashi, Satoko, and Hitomi ran down to the camp. What they found was something they weren't expecting. Dead bodies everywhere and every one was an Oto-nin. At this sight, they were stunned.

"There isn't a single body here that isn't from Oto." Satoko remarked. "And these cuts, they're so exact. They must have been delivered from an experienced medic."

"What kind of medic rushes into battle?" Arashi asked.

"Check this out!" Hitomi called them over to a body that was hanging several feet from the ground, held up by a spear of ice.

"Who could have done this?" Satoko stared in awe. The fourth member of their team, a useless man, came huffing and puffing.

"Uchiha Takuro is nowhere to be found." He reported to Arashi. Satoko bit her lip.

"Hitomi, get back to the village at full speed and report this!" Arashi ordered.

"Yes Taichou." And with that, Hitomi was off.

"Whoever did this, they must have been good, really good." Arashi murmured.

"Taichou!" Satoko called Arashi over.

"What is it?"

"Look." Satoko pointed to a clearing on the ground where oil had been spilled. Someone had lit the oil so that they burned in the form of a fox. "You know what this means?" She asked.

"Yeah, this is the work of the Shadowfox Squad." Arashi answered.

XxXxXxX

They came to a cabin several miles from the battlefield. "Yukina, get the door open." Hinari ordered. Yukina pushed the door open and moved aside for Hinari and Hyourinmaru to enter with the stretcher. "Natsuhime, Yukina, get him onto the bed, gently now, we don't want to make his injuries worse." Both girls carefully moved him the man from the stretcher to the bed.

"Shishou, he may have internal injuries." Natsuhime said.

"Get his shirt off, I'll take a look at him." Hyourinmaru propped the stretched up against the wall while Natsuhime took a kunai and tore the man's shirt open.

"Whoa, this guy's got muscle." Hyourinmaru remarked. Hinari stuck her index and middle finger into her mouth and whistled. The whistle was soon answered by six howls. Within moments, six large foxes entered the cabin.

"What do you need Hinari?" The largest one asked.

"Where's Umi?" Hinari asked, it had gotten harder for her to tell the foxes apart.

"Right here." Umi stepped forward.

"Natsuhime, tell her what you need." Hinari said. Natsuhime nodded.

"How's his heartbeat?" Natsuhime asked. Hinari leaned over carefully and listened.

"Irregular." Natsuhime reached for a pouch strapped to her belt and pulled it off. She opened it and dug through its content. "Bring me Scopolamine, and Pokeweed. I have enough Foxglove." Umi nodded and ran out.

"Akagane, what's been going on since we've been gone?" Hinari asked. The largest fox with eight long tails stepped forward.

"Not much, Orochimaru's army has been growing, he relaxed when it was reported that you'd momentarily left, but now that you're back, he'll be sweating bullets." Hinari laughed.

"What about Konoha and its allies?"

"The Daimyo's son arrived in Konoha today for a conference, the Daimyo is growing old and can't travel anymore. Unfortunately, the Daimyo's son will make a crappy Daimyo, he cares nothing for the country, and he's more concerned with women than the situation between Konoha and Oto. Suna has agreed to come to Konoha's aid should they need it. Queen Mae has also given us her support." Akagane reported.

"That's good. How is Konoha faring overall?"

"Quite well, the newest graduates have much promise, and luckily, Konoha has had very few casualties in the last year, they've got as many troops as they can get right now." Hinari nodded as she listened.

"Hyourinmaru give me four splints from Natsuhime's pack." She ordered. The boy stood and dug through the girl's pack. He pulled out the four and handed them to Hinari. Hinari snapped them until they were the right size, and they using bandages, used them on the man's fingers. Only his left index finger and thumbs weren't broken. "Yukina, dig through the book to identify this one."

"Uh, let's see he's from Konoha," she flipped to somewhere in the center of a large book. "Oh, here we go, based on his appearance he's in his early to mid twenties. Does he have a clan symbol anywhere?" Yukina asked. Hyourinmaru picked up the man's discarded shirt.

"Yeah, a red and white fan." He pointed to it on the sleeve. Yukina nodded.

"Let's see, this one must be Uchiha Takuro, twenty-four years old, a member of Konoha's Military Police."

"Akagane, did you know that Takuro had been captured?" Hinari asked.

"No, Tetsujin was supposed to be watching the camp." Akagane glared at his older brother.

"Sorry," Tetsujin apologized by touching his nose to the ground.

"Who are his known relatives?" Hinari questioned.

"On what we have, her mother and father, Uchiha Sasuke and Sakura, Sasuke is head of the Military Police, and Sakura is in charge of all doctors, nurses, and certified Medic-nin. He's got a younger sister, twenty, a member of the ANBU Infiltration and Sabotage Squad, the main squad." Yukina read off.

"Impressive." Hinari murmured. Umi soon returned with the herbs Natsuhime had asked for.

"Shishou, pick him up." Natsuhime ordered. Hinari carefully lifted Takuro up. Natsuhime lifted a bowl to his lips and forced him to swallow a greenish liquid. "There, the Foxglove should get his heartbeat back to normal for now. Shishou, let me know of any internal injuries." Hinari nodded.

'Byakugan.' Hinari's eyes traveled up and down his body. "Two cracked ribs on his right. Those are the most serious; everything else is a scrape, scratch, or cut." Hinari said. Natsuhime nodded.

"I guess we really don't need the Scopolamine then." She tucked the plant and placed it carefully in her pouch and reattached it to her belt. "Hyourinmaru, make yourself useful and hold him up while I bandage him up.

"Wait, we need to set one of the ribs, it looks like its pretty close to puncturing his lung." Hinari said.

"Right." Natsuhime pulled out the Scopolamine again and starting grinding it up with her hand. She dropped the powder into water and stirred it around. "All right, pick him up again." Hinari lifted Takuro again, and Natsuhime got him to swallow the concoction. "Now we let that settle in, it'll take maybe an hour." Natsuhime said.

"Akagane, keep an eye out for us will ya?" Hinari requested. Akagane nodded and he and his siblings stepped out. Hyourinmaru dug through his pack and produced a sack of jerky. He tore of a chunk and tossed it to his sister.

"Thanks." Yukina also tore of a good sized chunk and handed it to Natsuhime. The three ate the jerky in silence while Hinari kept an eye on Takuro.

"So, who had the highest kill count?" Hinari asked.

"I had fifty." Natsuhime said.

"Thirty-one." Yukina announced.

"Thirty-nine." Hyourinmaru said.

"Natsuhime's the winner then." Hinari said.

"So we only killed a hundred twenty?" Yukina asked.

"Yeah, there were a hundred twenty soldiers, plus the commander. Hyourinmaru killed the commander, and we let one soldier live." Hinari summed up for them. "Pass me some jerky Natsuhime." Hinari took the jerky and ripped off a hunk for herself and gave it back to Hyourinmaru. "Get some sleep you three, you guys deserve it, I'll keep an eye on him." She said. The three nodded. They set out their bed rolls and crawled into them.

Soon all three kids were asleep, leaving Hinari alone. She stood up and let Akagane join her.

"Has it really been twelve years already?" Hinari asked.

"Yeah, it's amazing how time flies." Hinari smiled.

"I remember, the day I first met Takuro at the Academy. He said I was pretty and asked to be my friend. I was so scared I ran away." She curled up and watched Takuro sleep. "We were eight, and I had no idea that he'd end up falling in love with me, and I with him, but it's been so long, I don't know if my feelings for him are still the same."

"Twelve years is a long time Hinari, and you were only kids, it's possible that he's found another by now. Especially since he's to be head of his clan when his father chooses to step down." Hinari nodded.

"I know." Hinari scratched Akagane behind the ears. "I remember when I met you; you were still small enough to sit on my head without my neck hurting from your weight. Now look at you, you've got eight tails now, the others still only have seven. You're the youngest, yet the strongest." Hinari picked up the book and flipped through it.

"Why did you start keeping that book anyway?" Akagane asked. Hinari gave a shrug. "I don't know, a whim I guess. But it's been useful. It holds the names, ages, and ranks of every shinobi clan we've encountered. Including Hyourinmaru and Yukina's. And Natsuhime's."

"Why bother with Hyourinmaru's? It's just the two of them. And they hold no official rank."

"Because I know that when Hyourinmaru becomes a man, the Takeda clan will grow again, the same way the Uchiha clan did."

"Things certainly have changed. All of your friends are grown up and have chosen their paths."

"Yeah, I chose mine early. At fourteen, I was listed in the Bingo book of every Hidden Village. But by then, the Hinari they knew ceased to exist and I fully became Shadowfox."

"But you still answer to Hinari." Hinari nodded.

"I wonder if I'm still in the Bingo book."

"Why wouldn't you be? You're just as dangerous as you were then. Even more so with three highly trained students with you. Plus, your control over Kyuubi-sama is at its greatest right now."

"I can't remember the last time my eyes turned red anymore." She stated. Hinari looked at the scars on Takuro's face. "Or the last time I hurt someone unintentionally with that power."

"That's good thought, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. It means that I'm fully ready to return to Konoha." Then, she groaned. "It also means that I haven't taken the Chuunin Exam in twelve years. I'm still a genin!" Akagane chuckled.

"Yep, even Hitomi-hime has surpassed you." Hinari groaned again. She looked at Takuro again and stretched.

"He's not waking up for a while." She lay down and linked her fingers together under her head. "Wake me up if he does."

"Okay."

"Good night Akagane." Hinari closed her eyes and fell asleep.

"Good night and welcome home."

**Hurray! Chapter one finished and nearly nine pages long! Phew, I'm having fun with it already. And like I said in the last chapter of **_**Hinari**_**, there would be new characters. Hope you recognized Hyourinmaru and Yukina's last name. It was mentioned in **_**Hinari**_** as well. But that shall be explained later. As well as the origins of Natsuhime. To tell the truth, I started out with only Hyourinmaru, but that was boring, so I threw in a younger sister for fun, but then I thought, "Let's make it a normal four man team." And thus, Natsuhime was born. Hope you enjoyed! Review please!**

_"Hokage-sama!" Hitomi burst into the conference room._

_"Hitomi! This better be good for you to interrupt." Konohamaru snapped. The clan heads weren't too happy either._

_"I'm sorry but, the advance army that was parked ten miles outside the village, it's been wiped out!" She cried as she yanked her mask off._

_"WHAT?!"_

_"Arashi-taichou sent me to report it, and, it was done by the Shadowfox Squad." Hitomi said. "Everyone in the camp was dead, including the commander." At the mention of the Shadowfox, the clan heads burst into frenzied whispering._

_"I thought the Shadowfox disappeared?" Hana muttered._

_"Not likely, we sent our best after her; they came back without even having scratched her. She probably just stepped out of the light." Shikamaru reasoned._

_"Hitomi, take two I & S squads and continue the investigation." Konohamaru ordered. Hitomi saluted._

_"Yes sir." She pulled her mask back on and walked out the door._

_"What's this Shadowfox?" The clan heads fell into silence and they all turned towards Hideki. Each and every one of them wore the same look. A "Where the hell have you been?" look. Konohamaru sighed. Haruka and Mamoru glanced at each other. Even they knew of the Shadowfox._

_"Shikamaru, pass me a cigarette." He said. Shikamaru raised a surprised eyebrow but complied with the request._


	2. Chapter 2: Introductions

Shadowfox

Chapter 2

Sakura Hanamoto

Takuro opened his eyes to see a pair of blue ones staring down at him. "Huh?"

"Shishou, he's awake." The blue-eyed girl said.

"Good," He turned his head slightly to see a woman his age approaching.

"Where am I?" He asked in an attempt to sit up. The woman pushed him back down onto the bed carefully.

"Stay still, you're injured." She said. Takuro nodded slowly. Takuro was still somewhat dazed, but he was acutely aware of his hunger. At this thought, his stomach rumbled loudly. The woman smiled. "Natsuhime, get the man something to eat." She ordered.

"We don't have anything Shishou." He saw a red-headed girl answering.

"Fine, Yukina get us some food." She ordered the blue-eyed girl.

"All right, all right." Yukina stood up from her spot on the floor and snapped together all six sections of her staff and attached a foot and a half long glaive head. "I'll be back." She opened the door to the cabin and disappeared.

"Who are you?" Takuro asked the woman who was now poking his ribs experimentally. He winced.

"Hm, still tender." She murmured. The woman then looked up at him and smiled. "I'm Shadowfox." She said calmly. Takuro's eyes widened in surprise. How could she just introduce herself like that like it was an ordinary day? "And you're Uchiha Takuro."

"How did you-?" Hinari held up the book.

"I know quite a bit about you actually." She said. "Now then, let's take a look at your fingers. Give me your hand." Takuro complied, simply because he didn't know what else to do. Hinari examined them.

"Why did you save me?" He asked.

"Simple, my squad and I are headed for Konoha, and since I took the time to take out that advance army Orochimaru, it would have made me look bad if I just left the captive they happened to have there to die." She explained. Hinari took his other hand and checked his fingers on that hand. "Well, your fingers will heal well. They broke cleanly, there aren't any bone fragments floating around in there."

"How can you tell?"

"I just can." Hinari deactivated her Byakugan and looked up. "Man, you look like you went through a blender when you were younger." She traced the three scars on his face.

"Uh yeah, something like that." Just as he said that, Yukina burst through the door, dragging a dead boar with her glaive. Hinari sighed.

"Take that thing outside and prepare it there. It's unsanitary." She ordered. "Hyourinmaru, help your sister."

"What? Why me?"

"Because Natsuhime's helping me."

"No she isn't!"

"Just do as I say." Hyourinmaru groaned.

"Fine, fine." He got up and followed his sister outside.

"Who are they?" Takuro asked.

"My students. Takeda Hyourinmaru, or Demolition Drive, that's his codename. He's in charge of breaking the doors and gates down and clearing our path. His younger sister by two years is Takeda Yukina, Quick Strike. She does recon and sneak attacks. And finally, Yanagihara Natsuhime, Silent Strike, our medic, and assassin." Hinari explained.

"Did you say Takeda?" Takuro asked.

"Yep, the only two survivors of the Takeda Massacre, only by a stroke of complete luck. Hyourinmaru was four at the time, that's when the clan kekkei genkai manifested in him, saving himself and Yukina." Hinari said.

"So, what's your real name?" Takuro asked her. Hinari looked at him and grinned.

"Do you really think I'd tell you?" Takuro cursed under his breath, he'd been hoping she'd slip up in a moment of distraction. "Natsuhime, tell Yukina to prepare a broth." Hinari told her.

"Okay, Shishou how's his heartbeat?" Natsuhime asked.

"Excuse me," Hinari shoved him down carefully and pressed her ear to his chest. "Its fine, we don't need to use anymore Foxglove. We don't want to accidentally kill him anyway." She said. Natsuhime nodded and went outside to join the siblings.

"They call you 'shishou'?" Takuro asked.

"Yep, Hyourinmaru and Yukina have been with me for eleven years now, Natsuhime only for four." Hinari said.

"You guys must be close."

"Yeah, just like family." Hinari stood up and went digging through her pack. "That's an interesting necklace you've got there. Family heirloom?" She asked. Takuro looked down at the necklace around his neck.

"Uh no, its-," He wasn't sure how to explain it.

"Let me guess, someone close to you gave it to you."

"Good guess. She gave it to me as a parting gift."

"She?"

"Yeah, she wasn't my girlfriend or anything; we were just really close friends." He said.

"I see." Hinari was finding it quite entertaining to pretend that she wasn't herself. "Are you still close?"

"I don't know, haven't seen her for twelve years now. She was my teammate, if I was to see her now, then, to be honest, I don't know how I'd react."

"Well, if it's been that long, people change a lot over the course of twelve years. She could have a boyfriend by now, or she won't remember you, or a million other possibilities."

"That's true."

"Shishou, the broth is ready." Natsuhime said.

"Bring some for our invalid here." Hinari said. Natsuhime disappeared for a minute and returned with a bowl. She handed it to Takuro, he was about to take it when he remembered that he couldn't move most of his fingers. "Give it here, I'll feed him. Save some for me will ya?"

"Right." Natsuhime disappeared out the door again. Hinari picked up the spoon and held it up to Takuro's mouth.

"You wanna eat or not?" She asked him.

"Oh," Takuro opened his mouth and Hinari stuck the spoon inside. He closed his mouth and swallowed the broth. Hinari fed him a spoonful at a time until the bowl was empty. She set it aside.

"Get some sleep now, you need it." Takuro lay back down and was asleep in moments.

XxXxXxX

"Hokage-sama!" Hitomi burst into the conference room.

"Hitomi! This better be good for you to interrupt." Konohamaru snapped. The clan heads weren't too happy either.

"I'm sorry but, the advance army that was parked ten miles outside the village, it's been wiped out!" She cried as she yanked her mask off.

"WHAT?!"

"Arashi-taichou sent me to report it, and, it was done by the Shadowfox Squad." Hitomi said. "Everyone in the camp was dead, including the commander." At the mention of the Shadowfox, the clan heads burst into frenzied whispering.

"I thought the Shadowfox disappeared?" Hana muttered.

"Not likely, we sent our best after her; they came back without even having scratched her. She probably just stepped out of the spotlight." Shikamaru reasoned.

"Hitomi, take two I & S squads and continue the investigation." Konohamaru ordered. Hitomi saluted.

"Yes sir." She pulled her mask back on and walked out the door.

"What's this Shadowfox?" The clan heads fell into silence and they all turned towards Hideki. Each and every one of them wore the same look. A "Where the hell have you been?" look. Konohamaru sighed. Haruka and Mamoru glanced at each other. Even they knew of the Shadowfox.

"Shikamaru, pass me a cigarette." Konohamaru said. Shikamaru raised a surprised eyebrow but complied with the request. Konohamaru lit up and took a long pull on the cigarette then blew the smoke out through his nose. "Kakashi."

"Sir?"

"Get me the file on the Shadowfox." Kakashi nodded and left the room. After a few moments he returned and handed it to Konohamaru.

"This file contains all information on the Shadowfox that we've been able to gather." He began. "The Shadowfox showed up about nine years ago. She took jobs as a mercenary from the highest bidder. If you gave her the money she'd do just about any job for you, assassinations, protection, transporting of goods, anything, the only thing she didn't do was sleep with you." Konohamaru said. "At first no one really noticed, but when she took a job that involved an international affair, if it involved going against Fire Country, or any of its allies, she didn't do it. We didn't notice until it was pointed out. Based on that, we concluded that she was an ally to Konoha. All the same she was added to our Bingo book, simply as a safety precaution.

"She was active all over the continent up until eight months ago; she just seemed to disappear completely. And now, she seems to have turned up again, protecting Konoha." Konohamaru finished his explanation to Hideki.

"She sounds dangerous." Hideki commented.

"Indeed she is. She moves so quickly and silently that not even our most skilled have caught her. We don't even know what she looks like. The only physical description of her that we have is that her hair is always tied into a braid that reaches her waist." Sasuke said.

"An interesting woman." Hideki murmured. Mamoru and Haruka sighed; they knew the look on his face, once a woman caught his interest he didn't stop until he was satisfied, usually once he got her in bed. Konohamaru seemed to realize this.

"She isn't a woman that would sell her body based on our information. Though she is known to use it to lure her victims into lowering their guard."

"Has there been any word on my son's whereabouts?" Sasuke asked.

"None," Sasuke sighed. "Don't worry Sasuke, the I & S is still looking into it." Konohamaru said.

XxXxXxX

"Uh, I can't stand this anymore!" Takuro cried. Hinari smirked.

"Bored?"

"What the hell do you think? I can't do anything since my fingers still haven't healed." He said.

"I have an idea, why don't you guess my identity?" Hinari suggested.

"What would be the point in that? I haven't a clue as to who you are." He said.

"Awe, come on, I know you're curious, I can see it in your eyes." She teased. She scooted closer, but Takuro moved farther away. Hinari leaned forward and he leaned back. She giggled. "You're awfully shy for a man your age. Most men I've run into can't wait to get my clothes off."

"Uh, well, that is, uh-," Takuro stammered.

"Don't worry; most of those men are dead before they even get their pants off." She said.

"How's that supposed to make me feel better?"

"You tell me." Hinari stood up.

"You're weird." He muttered.

"I heard that." Hinari spun around to face him. She sniffed. "You smell funny."

"Well I haven't bathed in quite a while now." He said.

"Let's fix that, I can't stand a man that smells." Hinari grabbed him by the elbow and made him stand. Hyourinmaru looked up. "We're heading out for a bit, hold down the fort." She said.

"Whatever." Hyourinmaru muttered.

"Where are Yukina and Natsuhime?"

"Off gathering herbs." Hinari answered as she dragged Takuro off into the woods. After a few minutes of walking she paused to listen, she heard rushing water and followed it. They came to a stream and she pushed Takuro forward. "Well go on, get clean."

"But-,"

"Don't worry, I won't look," Hinari turned around to prove her point. "Much." She finished. Takuro blushed furiously. He attempted to push his pants down without unbuttoning them, but couldn't.

"Uh,"

"What?"

"I can't get my pants off." He said. Hinari laughed.

"Come here then." She said.

"Huh?"

"Poor boy, still so shy." Hinari smiled. Takuro ground his teeth, and then resolutely stepped towards her. Hinari reached down and unbuttoned his pants. "There," She turned around again to let him finish undressing. Takuro moved towards the river and stepped into it.

"The water's freezing!" He cried.

"Too bad!" Hinari retorted. Hinari sat down, her back still facing him. Takuro watched her apprehensively, not trusting her word. Then again, why should he? She was the Shadowfox after all. "I told you already, I'm not gonna look, it's not like there's much to see anyway."

"What was that?!" Hinari laughed at him.

"For as shy as you are, you're just like any other guy." Takuro sat in the water for a few more minutes, stewing. She certainly knew how to get under his skin. Takuro got out of the water and shook his hair out. He put his clothes back on. "Done?" Hinari asked.

"Yeah."

"Good, now it's my turn." Hinari was reaching down to pull her shirt off when Takuro stopped her.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" He cried. Hinari smiled. She spun around and poked him in the chest.

"You really are a virgin!"

"How can you tell?"

"If you weren't, you wouldn't have protested. I've traveled this continent, hell; I went west for eight months, all men act like this." She said. Then, she started heading back. "Hurry up, I'll come back here later, I was only messing with you." She said. Takuro sighed and shook his head.

'This woman is really strange.' He thought.

XxXxXxX

"Okay, that's it! Let's head back!" Arashi ordered.

"Right." Satoko wiped sweat from her brow and joined Arashi. The only man on the team was breathing heavily. Arashi flashed him a contemptuous look.

'I'll never understand why I let him join.' She thought. Hitomi soon joined them and they headed back to the village at an easy run.

"Taichou, do you ever think we'll find my brother?" Satoko asked.

"Yeah, he's a tough one, Takuro is. He's alive, wherever he is." Arashi reassured the young woman. Satoko nodded.

"If you say so."

"Cheer up Satoko; I hardly think Takuro would get himself killed. He's still got his whole life ahead of him, plus he's still hoping Hinari comes back." Arashi said.

"You're right. But I find it hard to believe that he's still waiting for Hinari." Satoko said unbelievingly.

"Good point. He's a patient guy, but not that patient." Arashi laughed. "Well, Hitomi, call those squads over, we're heading back to the village, we've done what we can. Pity there wasn't anyone alive to question."

XxXxXxX

"Okay! Your fingers are as good as new! And your ribs are healed too." Hinari poked Takuro in the ribs. "So that means, pack up kids we're heading for the village!" She announced.

"Finally!" Hyourinmaru scrambled up from his place on the floor and started packing. Natsuhime stuffed her medic supplies away in their proper places and shouldered her bag. Yukina made sure everything was secure and slung her bag over her shoulder. Hinari picked up her own supplies.

"Get up Takuro, we're taking you home." Hinari said.

"Right," Takuro stood and pulled his shirt on. He found his forehead protector under the pillow and tied it on.

"Right, Shadowfox Squad, Takuro, move out!" Everyone nodded and they spilled out of the cabin. They walked down the road.

"Shishou, what direction do we go in?" Yukina asked. Hinari pointed. Takuro noted the direction she pointed in.

"You're not going through the main gate?" He asked.

"No, why?"

"It'd be safer if you did."

"Yeah but they won't let us through anyway." Natsuhime said.

"Why not?"

"None of us have a Konoha forehead protector." Hyourinmaru answered. Then, Hinari stopped and began digging through her backpack.

"I know it's in here somewhere. Aha!" She pulled out a Konoha forehead protector. She rubbed the metal to make it shinier, but the cloth was tattered.

"Where did you get that?" Hyourinmaru asked.

"Silly, I did graduate from an Academy unlike you three. This is my forehead protector." Hinari tied it on and smiled. She saw Takuro staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing, you just remind me of someone I used to know."

"Shishou! You mean to tell us that all this time you were registered to a village?" Yukina asked.

"Yep, but they probably figure that I'm dead by now." Hinari said. "Well, let's go!" She cried, pumping a fist into the air.

XxXxXxX

A pair of chuunin watched as a group of five approached the gate. Once they got a clear view, they recognized one of them. "Isn't that Uchiha Takuro?" One asked the other. He nodded. Once the group arrived they stopped them.

"Halt! State your names and your business in Konoha!" One ordered. Hinari smiled and stepped forward.

"Is it really necessary?" She asked. The chuunin noted the forehead protector she wore. "We found Uchiha Takuro on our way here and saw fit to make sure he got back safely." She said.

"All right, you can pass." They walked through the gate.

"Wait! Those children wear no symbol of this village. We will have to confiscate their weapons." Hinari sighed. She nodded and they began removing their weapons. Hyourinmaru tossed down his hammer and removed his kunai holster and hip pouch.

"That's everything." He informed them. The other two however took a while longer. Natsuhime unbuckled one of her belts and placed the belt and bladed tonfas on the ground. Then she removed her kunai holster and hip ouch, but left her second belt on. She pushed up the sleeves of her jacket and removed the flat knives she had strapped to her arms.

"What about that other pouch?" One of the chuunin pointed to it.

"Those are just healing herbs." Natsuhime responded. Yukina removed the six sections of her staff and dumped them on the ground. She removed her belt, along with the pouch that held the bladed heads to her staff. She then took off her kunai holster and threw it in the pile.

"That's all I've got." She said.

"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!" A pair of voices called. They turned to see two boys, one with green eyes, and the other with black. Both had black hair tied into short ponytails. Both were dressed in the exact same thing, khaki shorts and a blue shirt with the Uchiha clan symbol printed on the sleeve. The green-eyed boy wore his forehead protector on his forehead; the other wore his on his arm.

"Raisuke, Renpachi, what are you guys doing here?" Takuro asked.

"Who cares? You're finally back!" Both boys were elated to see him. "Wait until Mom and Dad hear! They're gonna be so thrilled." Hinari gave Takuro a surprised look.

'So the Uchiha clan has gotten bigger since I've been gone. Those two are probably eleven or so.' Hinari thought.

"Hey, get out of the way!" The chuunin pulled Hyourinmaru and Yukina aside as three full squads of Shinobi entered. One of them paused by the chuunin.

"I & S squad one checking in. And so are squads four and seven." She added.

"Of course, I hope your investigation went well Arashi-taichou?" One of the chuunin asked.

"As well as it could have." Upon hearing the name Arashi, Hinari spun around to see her older sister. "Hitomi, go report to Hokage-sama. Satoko, huh? Satoko?" Arashi followed the young woman's line of vision.

"Ah! Satoko-'nee-chan! Look, it's Takuro-'nii-chan, he's finally back!" Renpachi pointed at Takuro.

"'Nii-chan?" Satoko stepped towards her older brother.

"Hey Satoko, sorry for worrying you." Takuro said. "I'd probably be dead by now, if it wasn't for Shadowfox here." He jerked a thumb at Hinari.

"Shadowfox?" Arashi turned to Hinari. "You're Shadowfox? You wear a Konoha forehead protector."

"That's right. I came from this village originally; I saved it just in case. It got me in here again." Hinari answered. She quickly adopted the pretense of never having met Arashi previously.

"Take this woman and these three kids here to the Hokage." She ordered the chuunin.

"What? But we can't leave our post."

"That's fine; Eiji here will take your place until you get back. Right Eiji?" Arashi asked the man.

"Uh yeah."

"Now then, Shadowfox, you will come with me, but first, your weapons." Hinari did not protest. Not that it really mattered to her; she could kill without a weapon. Hinari removed the only visible weapons she seemed to have, her kunai holster and hip pouch.

"Okay, that's everything." She said.

"I don't trust you. Byakugan." Arashi activated her Byakugan and studied Hinari. When she was satisfied that Hinari was unarmed she motioned for her to walk ahead of her. The chuunin followed with the three kids. Satoko had collected the supplies and weapons from the group and brought up the rear with her brothers.

XxXxXxX

Konohamaru rubbed his temples. "Let's get this straight. You and your three students took out a hundred and twenty of Orochimaru's best shinobi on your own?" Hinari nodded. "And then, upon discovering Takuro, you took him from the battlefield and healed his injuries and came here." Hinari nodded again.

"That's right sir."

"Then, tell me, what is your true name?" He asked. Hinari grinned. She knew this question would be coming, and instead of her customary response, she decided to tell the truth.

"Are you ready sir?" She asked.

"For what?"

"For my introduction of course."

"Fine, fine, just hurry up." Hinari's smile widened.

"I am U-," She was cut off by a knock on the door. Satoko opened it and a woman of average height stepped inside. She had blonde hair, a blonde that wasn't as vibrant as Arashi's hair, but still blonde, and brown eyes. Her belly was large from pregnancy.

"What do you need Tsubaki?" Konohamaru asked.

"I was wondering if you'd found Takuro yet?" She asked. Konohamaru nodded towards Takuro. The woman turned and grinned.

"I knew you weren't dead. And Asuma kept saying that there was no way you could still be alive." She gave Takuro a quick hug.

"Shadowfox, you were about to give your name?" Konohamaru said.

"Oh yes, of course. I am Uzumaki Hinari." She said. For a second, there was stunned silence.

"Hinari? As in, my little sister Hinari?" Arashi asked. Without asking permission, she yanked her mask off and studied Hinari intently. "Blue eyes, indigo hair, the whisker marks." Arashi moved Hinari's bangs from her face to see them. "There's no doubt, it's you!" Arashi hugged her tightly.

"What the fuck! You-you-you!" Takuro continued to stutter incoherently. Satoko punched him, causing his head to create a whole in the wall when he hit it.

"Language Takuro, there are children in the room." She scolded. Hinari heard loud stomping and turned to face Tsubaki.

"You told me in your letter that I could beat you up."

"You're hardly in a position to beat me up Tsubaki, by the looks of things." Hinari commented.

"You're right, so I get to beat you up after I squeeze this baby out." She said. Hinari laughed.

"Are you really Hinari?" Hitomi asked.

"My, you've grown quite a bit Hitomi-hime." Hitomi frowned.

"I'm hardly a little kid anymore Hinari, I'm sixteen already!" Hinari laughed.

"I know you are. It's just habit by now." Hinari said giving Hitomi a hug. "Now, for some proper introductions. Everyone, these are my three students, Takeda Hyourinmaru and Yukina, and Yanagihara Natsuhime." She said. Konohamaru looked at the crowd that had gathered.

"Could all of you please leave? I'll take your report later Arashi, Takuro, come back tomorrow morning, I wanna know what happened to you. Satoko, take a look at him and make sure he has no injuries." Konohamaru ordered. "And Tsubaki, I believe you're supposed to be off your feet."

"Ah, you won't tell Asuma will you?" Konohamaru chuckled.

"Only if you don't go straight home."

"Roger!" Tsubaki turned and left without another word. The others soon followed. Once the door shut, Konohamaru addressed Hinari again.

"It's good to finally see you Hinari."

"It's good to be home."

"How has your journey been?" Hinari shrugged noncommittally.

"So-so, had its ups and downs. Though a very enlightening experience." Hinari told him.

"Now that you've returned I presume you wish to return to the field as a Konoha ninja."

"Yep, but there's a problem."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"My old team has obviously moved on. And there is the question of an appropriate rank for my students." She glanced at the three. Konohamaru chuckled.

"Then, as you have not participated in the Chuunin Exam for the past twelve years, I could just promote you here and now to the level I see fit. Or, I could keep you a genin and send your students to the Academy."

"But, they're more than qualified to graduate already. I've taught them everything they need to know." Hinari said.

"Is that so? Well then, since I am rather curious as to how strong you've gotten, let's test you. Kakashi." Kakashi opened the door.

"Sir?"

"Go get me Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Tenten."

"Yes sir,"

"Uncle Neji and Tenten-san finally got married?" Hinari asked.

"That's right, and they have an eight year old son."

"Wow, things really have changed here."

"Indeed. While we're waiting, may I ask your students a few questions about them?"

"Only if they don't mind." Hinari looked at them. All three of them shrugged. "Yeah, they don't mind." Hinari stepped away and gate the three a shove forward. "Just 'cause he's the Hokage doesn't mean he's gonna bite. He's not as scary as the Kazekage." She said grinning.

"You've been to Suna lately?"

"Yep, passed through on our way here. Asked Gaara-sama not to tell you of my arrival." She said. Konohamaru turned to her students.

"Now then, please tell me your names, where you are from, and age." He said.

"Takeda Hyourinmaru from Water Country, I'm sixteen sir."

"Takeda Yukina, also from Water Country, and I'm fourteen."

"Yanagihara Natsuhime from Grass Country, I'm fifteen."

"Quite a group you've got here. Tell me how you came to be Hinari's student."

"Shishou saved Yukina and me from the streets, she offered us food and clothing, and helped us control our kekkei genkai." Hyourinmaru explained for them both.

"I was running away from a forced marriage and I ran into Shishou and begged her to help me." Natsuhime said.

"A forced marriage? How old were you?"

"I was eleven, my parents were desperate sir. I didn't want to end up the trophy wife of some old geezer." Natsuhime replied.

"Understandable." Konohamaru was about to continue when Neji and Tenten entered. Upon seeing Hinari they both stared.

"So Hitomi-sama was telling the truth." Neji murmured. "She has indeed returned."

"Neji, Tenten, thank you for coming. I wish to assign suitable rankings to these four, and I would like you to test them."

"Of course." Neji replied.

"I call dibs on the kids." Tenten said. Neji nodded.

"I wonder, have your Jyuuken skills improved much since I last saw you?" Neji asked Hinari.

"Perhaps."

"Why don't we go to one of the training grounds then, shall we?" The large group headed to the nearest training ground. Kakashi placed the box of the group's supplies down and they all geared up.

"Tenten-san is a weapons master, don't underestimate her." Hinari warned.

"Don't worry, we won't." Hyourinmaru said. Hinari nodded and finished strapping on her kunai holster. Hinari and Neji faced each other while the three kids stood before Tenten.

"Neji and Tenten will give the word to begin once they are ready." Konohamaru said. He stepped back to observe, Kakashi by his side. They waited for a few tens moments, then Neji and Tenten spoke in unison.

"START!" And the test began.

**Chapter two is finished! Hurray! No preview this time because I forgot, and I'm half finished the chapter 3 already. :P Okay, review please.**


	3. Chapter 3: First Mission

Shadowfox

Chapter 3

Sakura Hanamoto

Hinari fell into her Jyuuken stance, feet wide apart with a low center. Neji slipped into his own and watched Hinari's movements. He caught the muscles in her leg contracting. He came forward to stop her from springing frontward. Instead of leaping at Neji, Hinari feinted and jumped back a step before coming forward. This action threw Neji off.

'She knows I'm reading her movements.' He thought. Neji lunged and thrust a palm at her, aiming for her arm. Hinari grabbed him by the wrist and twisted hard. Neji ground his teeth together and aimed a kick at her stomach. Hinari caught his foot with her free hand. Neji, now precariously balanced on one foot could do nothing to counter her next move. Hinari released his leg and swung him around by his arm and released, throwing him several feet away with ease. Neji was on his feet in a second, but even that was too slow. Hinari was already behind him, using his blind spot to her advantage.

"Don't leave your blind spot open to attack Uncle Neji, it could get you killed." She murmured in his ear. Neji spun on his heel in an attempt to strike her, only to be met by a puff of smoke.

'A Kage Bunshin?' He thought. Neji stood still to locate Hinari. She couldn't possibly be outside his range of vision; she'd be far outside the village if that were so. 'Where is she?'

XxXxXxX

Hyourinmaru gripped his hammer tightly, waiting for Tenten to make her move. The woman reached for the large scroll she carried.

"Yukina, keep an eye on her movements, tell me if you see weaknesses we can exploit. Natsuhime, stand back unless I tell you to come in." Hyourinmaru ordered. Both girls nodded. Yukina slowly circled around Tenten, putting her staff together as she went. She snapped on her spearhead and watched carefully.

'The boy is obviously the leader; he shows some pretty good leadership skills.' Tenten thought. 'The one he told to stay back must be the medic. And that one behind me, that staff of hers could do serious damage, but the construction of it is odd.' She looked back to Hyourinmaru in time for him to raise his hammer and slam it to the ground. From the earth sprouted thick icicles. Tenten jumped away and yanked her scroll open. A barrage of weapons came at Hyourinmaru and Natsuhime. Yukina was there in a second, her spear twirling at high speed, deflecting all the weapons.

"She carries no other weapons, just that scroll." Yukina reported. Yukina unscrewed the spearhead and put it away and replaced it with a halberd head.

'Interchangeable?' Tenten was surprised by Yukina's weapon.

"Natsuhime, go!" Natsuhime nodded and charged in, drawing her tonfas. She flicked her wrists, making the tonfas spin in her grip. Tenten pulled her scroll open and a hail of kunai and shuriken came at the red-head. Yukina jumped in again, not using her halberd as a shield, but her own body.

"Crap!" Tenten watched in horror as the weapons made contact with her body. But there was something wrong with the sound the blades made. It wasn't the sound of steel sinking into flesh, but something else. Tenten looked carefully to see a sheet of ice covered Yukina completely. "No way!" Yukina smirked and leapt into the air, out of Natsuhime's way. Natsuhime was still coming at her. Tenten quickly summoned up a wakizashi and began to parry every of the blows that came at her.

XxXxXxX

Neji rolled across the grass after Hinari had kicked him in the chest.

"You've gotten slow in your old age, Uncle Neji." She said.

"Old? I'm only forty-five." Hinari rolled her eyes.

"_Only_, oh my, is this a white hair I see?" She taunted as she picked him up by the collar of his shirt. Neji lashed out, and managed to strike her arm. Hinari let go of him. This gave him time to get back on his feet. "It'll take a lot more chakra than that to plug up my tenketsu." She told him. Neji narrowed his eyes. Her tenketsu were still open and fully functional.

"How?"

"You forget who I am, or rather, what's in me." She said in answer. Hinari kneed him in the chin. "You really aren't trying that hard are you?" She asked. "The great Hyuuga Neji, captain of the ANBU Interrogation squad is getting his ass beaten by his little cousin." She smiled.

"You're so different from the Hinari I remember." He said. Hinari paused, and her smile faded.

"Things change. People change. It's just how much we've changed that remains to be seen." She said. Neji smiled as he got to his feet.

"Hinari, you've gotten much stronger. I can tell just by looking at you. Twelve years ago, the most you could have done to me was give me a few bruises, but now, I think you cracked a rib." He said with a wince. Hinari smiled again. Neji motioned for her to come at him, and that's just what she did.

XxXxXxX

Tenten knew that she'd run out of weapons. The scroll no longer summoned any, and now, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. With the three kids advancing on her, she knew she couldn't beat them now.

"That's enough!" Konohamaru ordered. The three kids lowered their weapons. "I've seen enough for me to make a decision. Let's head back to my office first." He said. They nodded and followed him back.

"Hinari, I'm proud of you, you've grown considerably. You'd make your mother and father proud." Neji said. Hinari smiled and looked up at the monument she hadn't seen in so long.

'I'm home Dad, did ya miss me?' She thought as she looked upon her father's stone face. That's when she noticed the addition. 'Heh, Konohamaru-sama added his own mug to the mountain.' She thought. She turned her attention back to the present and could hear Tenten and Yukina discussing the mechanics of her weapon.

"I've never seen anything like this before. So, you say each section is a foot long, and they just snap together?" Tenten asked.

"Yep." Yukina demonstrated with two sections. She put them together and pulled them apart.

"How long does it take you normally to assemble it fully?"

"A few seconds. I spent months practicing, trying to do it faster and faster. Speed means everything in battle after all." Yukina said.

"True, but the blades, those just screw on at either end?" Yukina nodded. She pulled out the spear head and screwed it on for her with a quick spin. Neji glanced back at his wife.

"Careful now, Tenten is prone to borrowing weapons to study them and not give them back." He warned. Tenten glared at him but said nothing else.

"Where did you get this remarkable weapon?" Tenten asked.

"A small weapons shop in Kusa." Hinari answered.

"All the way over there? Wow, did all of you get your weapons there?" She asked. Hyourinmaru and Natsuhime nodded.

"Yeah, the owner gives us any supplies we ask for, for free." Hinari said.

"Why?"

"I took a little bad luck charm off of her shop. She makes so much money now that she can afford to give us complimentary weapon supplies." Hinari explained.

"Do you still have that 'bad luck charm' on you?" Konohamaru asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Hinari reached into her hip pouch and pulled out a scroll and yanked it open. In a puff of smoke, a long sword appeared in her hands.

"Oh my, quite a weapon."

"This is the Kyuubi no Kiba. Apparently, some great shinobi from Kusa cut off one of Kyuubi's fangs years and years ago. This was carved from it, except, it can only be wielded by someone who carries Kyuubi's chakra. Kyuubi confirmed it, he's missing a tooth." Hinari explained.

"The craftsmanship is strange; it's not shaped like a katana." Tenten remarked.

"That's because it isn't. It's a Western style blade called a claymore."

"Western?" Konohamaru asked.

"Yep, we went west for eight months, we actually got back a month ago." Hinari said. "I had this checked out to find out what kind of sword it is."

The group arrived at the Tower and returned to Konohamaru's office. Konohamaru sat down and was silent for a moment.

"I have observed your battles closely, Hinari, I felt that you were holding yourself back against Neji. But if that was holding back, I must make the assumption that going on full power, you are considerably stronger, so, I as Hokage, hereby promote you to the rank of Jounin." He said. Hinari smiled.

"Now for your students. Tenten, what did you see about them?" Konohamaru asked.

"The boy is obviously a strong leader, issuing orders and understanding the strength and abilities of his subordinates to utilize them efficiently in battle. His sister has keen eyes and is observant. Their medic moves quickly and does not waste her time when given an order. I would recommend them to at least be Chuunin." Tenten said. Konohamaru nodded.

"I saw the same that you did Tenten. I have little doubt that Natsuhime would make an excellent addition to our medics, but I sense that she has a craving for battle as much as the others. From henceforth, all three of you shall pledge your loyalty to Konohagakure no Sato. Any ties you may have had to your home countries is gone. From today onward, you shall be recognized as shinobi of this village, as Chuunin." Konohamaru finished. "Kakashi, get these three forehead protectors." Kakashi disappeared for a few moments, and then returned with forehead protectors and four Chuunin vests. He handed them out.

"The vest is optional." He said as he handed them out to the four. Hyourinmaru put his on over his fishnet shirt but didn't bother zipping it up. Hyourinmaru removed the bandana he wore around his forehead and replaced it with the forehead protector. Natsuhime tied it around her neck and Yukina tied it to the belt that held up her pouch of heads for her staff.

"Now then, you four may have the remainder of the week off. Hinari, I'm sure there are several people you want to catch up with, and you three may come back tomorrow to finish registering. Come here tomorrow morning at ten." He said. "You're dismissed." Hinari bowed and turned to leave, the three trailing after her. They came down the steps to be met by Arashi.

'Arashi-'nee-chan,' Arashi grinned.

"You have some explaining to do!" She accused Hinari. Hinari sighed.

"You guys go run around and get to know the village. Meet me at a place called Ichiraku Ramen tonight at around seven." She said. Her three students nodded and disappeared to learn about their new home. Arashi approached and threw an arm around Hinari's neck.

"So, regale me with tales of your adventures abroad little sister." She said. Hinari smiled.

"It'll take a while."

"Then, let's walk, I have to stop by the Academy, tell me on the way." The Uzumaki sisters walked through the village while Hinari talked of her time out of the village, and Arashi listened intently. They came to the Academy and halted. A few minutes later a boy came through the door.

"Mom!" He called. He ran towards Arashi. Hinari cast a questioning glance at her sister.

"Long story." Arashi answered as the boy came up to her. "Hey there, how was your day?" She asked the boy.

"Boring, Shikamaru-sensei gave a study period all day because he wanted to sleep." The boy answered. Then he noticed Hinari. "Who are you?" He asked.

"Naruhiko, show a little respect." Arashi scolded. "This is you aunt, the one I told you about. This is your Aunt Hinari." Arashi told him.

"Hello, Naruhiko, was it?" Hinari bent forward to see his face. She ruffled his hair affectionately and smiled. "How old are you?"

"I'm eight!" Naruhiko answered. The boy had the same blonde hair that Arashi had, and big chocolate brown eyes.

"Naruhiko-kun!" They saw a girl running down the road towards them. When she reached them, she paused to catch her breath. "Naruhiko-kun, Isamu-kun wants you to come with us to the Place." She said. The girl gave Hinari and Arashi a furtive glance.

"Okay! Mom, can I go, please!" He asked.

"Oh I don't see why not; just make sure you get home before dark." She said.

"Okay! Come on Yurie, Isamu doesn't like to wait!" The two kids ran off.

"Who was that?" Hinari asked.

"One of his friends, Namikawa Yurie, she's an orphan, lives on the other side of town. Not sure where though, no one seems to know. Isamu is Uncle Neji's son, looks a lot like him too." Arashi explained.

"Raisuke! Renpachi! Get back here right now!" They saw a pair of dark blurs go by, laughing loudly. A third person came into view and they saw that it was Iruka. He paused to catch his breath.

"I'm getting too old for this." He muttered before returning to the chase.

"Iruka-'jii-chan can't catch us!" The boys taunted in unison. They kept on running only to be caught by the collar. "Hey!" They looked up to see Takuro holding on to them tightly.

"I swear, you two are more trouble than you're worth." He said. "Get home already and leave Iruka alone." He said.

"Awe, onii-chan always spoils our fun." Renpachi whined.

"It's my job," Takuro replied, releasing them. "Now get home already!" Both boys pouted and walked home.  
"Thank you Takuro, that's a great help. I can't keep up with the pranksters anymore." Iruka said.

"Ever thought of retirement?"

"Not yet."

"You should, the pranksters have done nothing but get better at it." Iruka sighed. "I'd better get back, those tests won't grade themselves." He muttered. "See you around Takuro, and nice to see you back again. Oh yeah, Maina is looking for you." He said. Takuro nodded and spotted Hinari and Arashi talking.

"Hinari! Arashi!" He came up to them.

"Hello again," Hinari said.

"I don't think I ever said thank you for saving me. So, thanks a lot Hinari, I appreciate it." He said.

"Your welcome."

"Takuro-kun!" A voice called joyfully.

"AGH!" Takuro flailed his arms as he tumbled to the ground, a woman of about twenty-two clinging to him.

"M-Maina! Let go, I can't breath!" He cried, somehow managing to pull her arms from his neck.

"Who's that?" Hinari asked, pointing at the woman.

"Oh, that's Maina. During a solo mission when he was sixteen, he saved her; she's been attached to him since then. She's a chuunin still." Arashi said.

"I see," Hinari watched as Takuro finally managed to get Maina to release him and stand. Maina still kept a death grip on his arm though.

"I'm so happy that you've made it back Takuro-kun," She gushed. Maina then noticed Hinari. "Who are you?" She asked.

"Sh-Uzumaki Hinari." Hinari answered. Luckily, Maina didn't notice the stumble on her words.

"She's the one that saved me." Takuro said. Maina looked up at him, and then at Hinari, then she glared. Hinari recognized the look; it was the look of a jealous girlfriend. Hinari quickly backed off. This satisfied Maina, for the time being anyway. Strangely enough, Hinari hadn't really had much of a chance to get a good look at what Takuro looked like now. His hair was a lot messier than it used to be, even his forehead protector couldn't keep his hair from his face, his shoulders were broad, he was well built, that much she knew. But what didn't surprise her in the least was his height. She laughed slightly.

"What's so funny Hinari?" Arashi asked.

"Nothing, it's just that, a long time ago, Akagane said that Takuro would end up being a tree, he was right." Hinari laughed. Arashi raised an eyebrow.

"You're right, Takuro is a tree, and he's one of the tallest people in the village isn't he?"

"It's not that funny Hinari, six foot three really isn't _that_ tall." Takuro said. "How tall are you anyway, I wanna know if Tsubaki will add that to your punishment for being taller than her still."

"Uh, five foot seven." Hinari answered.

"Yeah, noticeably taller, she's gonna have fun with you then."

"You're taller than me!" Arashi commented.

"So?" Hinari asked.

"I'm older! I'm supposed to be taller!"

"Maybe sleeping for three years straight stunted your growth." Hinari volunteered lamely. Arashi punched her in the shoulder. Once Hinari calmed down, she and Arashi continued to walk around. Takuro decided to join them, with Maina following.

"Hey Hinari, where'd your students go?" Takuro asked.

"Wandering around, why?"

"Just curious. I figured that red-head, Natsuhime, and my Mom and Satoko would get along. Satoko took up the medic profession even though she's in the I & S." Takuro said.

"Natsuhime mainly uses healing herbs; she only uses healing techniques when necessary, like with your rib and fingers. We'd still be out there if we hadn't sped the process up." Hinari told him. Takuro nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"You two act like you know each other from before." Maina said.

"Yeah, we were teammates before Hinari decided to leave." Takuro said.

"Oh." Maina let go of Takuro's arm. "I'll see you around Takuro-kun; it was nice meeting you Hinari-san." Hinari nodded. Arashi elbowed Hinari.

"What?"

"I think you've got competition." She snickered.

"Huh?" Hinari shrugged. "I've gotta meet my team now, see you guys later." She waved and walked away. 'What was with that comment?' Hinari wondered. 'Competition for what?' Hinari arrived at Ichiraku and waited for the kids to show up, they did eventually.

"So, what are we doing here?" Yukina asked.

"We're here to eat." Hinari answered, shoving them underneath the awning.

"Welcome!" Ayame cried as she glanced up from the counter. "Oh, new customers, come, sit down and relax." Then, Ayame noticed Hinari. "Hinari-chan?" She blinked. Hinari laughed.

"You're the first person to recognize me upon first seeing me. Not even Arashi-'nee-chan or Takuro recognized me." She said.

"Well I have a knack for remembering faces." Ayame said. "Now then, to honor your return, tonight's meal is on me, for you and your friends." She said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's fine." Hinari smiled.

"Okay guys, this ramen is the best your ever gonna find anywhere, so order as much as you want." She said. The kids grinned and Ayame prepared herself for a busy night.

XxXxXxX

Hinari wandered the streets, taking in the night life of the village. 'So much has changed, but some things remain the same.' She thought. She heard a cough from an alley as she passed by. 'This area is still filled with the poor.' She knew this area well, she had lived here herself many years ago. Hinari reached back and caught a small boy attempting to pick her pocket.

"Sorry kid, I left everything at home." She said. "But," Hinari reached into her pocket and produced a few coins. "Here you go, get yourself something to eat." The boy snatched the money from her hand and ran off. 'I wonder of Machi-san still lives here.' She thought.

Hinari wandered a little farther down the road, but paused beside a rundown building. Someone stood in the shadows. "Any news?" She asked.

"Orochimaru is pissed that you took out his army."

"So he got my message I presume."

"Yes, he's already begun rebuilding his forces. But he won't be ready to attack for a few more months." Hinari smirked.

"Thank you, keep up the good work. Oh and do me favor will you? Deliver this message to the others; 'When the snake makes his move, be ready to come, the fox will be waiting.'" She said. Hinari passed the shadowed man a sack of coins.

"Of course Shadowfox, right away." The shadow sneaked away and disappeared into the night. Hinari sighed and glanced up at the sky, taking in the starry sky.

XxXxXxX

Haruka stared up at the sky as well; she heaved a sigh and drew her blade from its sheath. She ran her fingers lightly over the back of the blade.

"Haruka, it's good to see you again, it's been many years." Hinari turned to see her brothers standing there watching her.

"It's good to see all of you too. Shingane, Hadagane, Kashira, Tsuba, Tsuka, and Nakago."

"Father still won't give you a name like ours?" Shingane asked.

"Of course not, I'm the useless girl; I don't deserve a name as prestigious as your own. To be named after a part of the blade, it's a great honor you were all born with. But I don't get that honor. Perhaps one day, father will see his folly and give me one, but that day won't be anytime soon. For now, I'm happy with the name Haruka."

"Besides little sister, you're the first of us to leave the village. We're proud of you." Hadagane said.

"Thanks Hadagane. I appreciate it."

"Hey, if you ever got a name, what do you think it would be?" Nakago asked. Haruka shrugged.

"How many parts are left unnamed?" She asked.

"Well, there's still the collar, the tip of the blade, the back, edge, notches, and the ridge line left." Tsuka said.

"Don't forget the sheath, that still counts." Tsuba added.

"That's a lot of options," Kashira murmured. Haruka nodded.

"I've gotta go, my shift is starting soon to make sure Hideki-sama doesn't sneak out to the brothel. See you guys later." Haruka slung her sword over her shoulder and left.

"Hmm, perhaps, Saya would be the best name for her." Shingane said.

"Saya? As in sheath?" Hadagane asked.

"Yeah,"

"Maybe," Kashira agreed.

XxXxXxX

Haruka kicked Mamoru in the ribs. "Wake up!" She ordered. He snapped awake.

"I'm awake, I'm awake." He said.

"Sure, if you were awake, Hideki-sama would still be in here." She said. As soon as she finished speaking she walked out the door of the hotel room. "I'll find him, even though you let him go on your watch."

"Fine, I'll come with you, a woman shouldn't walk alone at night anyway." He said.

"I'm capable of protecting myself." She answered as they headed out to find Hideki. They came to the lobby to see Hideki sitting here dejected, beside him was Hinari.

"Found him headed towards the brothel, figured you'd want him back." Hinari said.

"Uh, thanks, uh," Haruka paused.

"Hinari," Hinari helped her out.

"Hinari? That's you? I didn't recognize you."

"So far, no one has immediately." Hinari told her. Haruka chuckled sheepishly. "Anyway, I brought him back for you, and I'll see you guys around." Hinari stood. "Oh, Hideki-sama?"

"What?"

"You'd do well to keep your pants on and pay a bit more attention to the country you will be inheriting, if you don't you're bound to fail as the Daimyo, especially now that we're on the brink of war." Hinari said. Hinari walked away and headed up the stair.

"Who was that?" Mamoru asked.

"We graduated together from the Academy. Hinari left a while ago, it was never really explained to us, and only her team seemed to know the real reason. I always wondered what had become of her." Haruka said.

"Oh, I'm only a couple years older but I don't remember her before I joined the Guard." Mamoru said.

"Hm, you watched the Chuunin Exam twelve years ago right? The first one of the year."

"Yeah."

"She defeated Uchiha Takuro, and the Kazekage's son." Haruka said.

"Her? She's tiny, a toothpick."

"That's just how she's always been. Supremely thin, the envy of every girl that wanted to be that thin, she doesn't diet either. Fast metabolism I guess. Oh well, time to get this one back to his bed." Haruka said glaring at Hideki.

"Right," Mamoru and Haruka each grabbed a hold of one of Hideki's arms and dragged him off.

XxXxXxX

Hinari checked on the girls, both were sleeping peacefully. She opened the door to the room she was in and lay down on the bed. 'Long day,' she thought. She smiled. 'Orochimaru is pissed off, that's good, the more pissed off he is the better, he'll make mistakes that way.' Hinari yanked off her sandals, and removed her jacket and curled up under the blanket. 'This will certainly be interesting.' She thought as she drifted off to sleep.

XxXxXxX

The next morning, Hyourinmaru, Yukina and Natsuhime reported to be registered as ninjas. While they were going through the process, Hinari took the time to visit the Hyuuga compound. When she arrived, she saw Hitomi and Neji sparring.

"Hinari, good morning." Neji said as he ducked under a strike. He came up only to have his hand caught and twisted painfully.

"Good morning." Hinari replied. Neji and Hitomi paused in their sparring to talk to Hinari.

"Is it true that you're a member of the I & S's main squad?" Hinari asked Hitomi.

"Yep, and Arashi-taichou is the captain commander over the entire division." Hitomi said.

"Really? So she achieved her goal then. Good for her." Hinari smiled. Hinari ran her fingers through her hair and dug through her pocket to find something to tie it back with. She pulled out a thin ribbon and braided her hair and tied it off. "Well, I'm just gonna wander around for a bit, see you later." Hinari left the compound and walked the streets, watching people go about their daily business, opening up their shops, or doing their early shopping.

"Excuse me, you're Uzumaki Hinari correct?" Hinari turned to see a nervous chuunin addressing her.

"Yeah, why?"

"You're being summoned by Hokage-sama." He answered.

"All right," Hinari changed course and headed for the Hokage's office. When she arrived, Takuro was standing before the Hokage as well.

"Thank you for joining us Hinari." Hinari glanced at Takuro, and then turned to attention over to Konohamaru. "You two are going on a reconnaissance mission to Oto. Because all the ANBU divisions are busy, you will have to go." He said. "You need to be back in a week, you're going to check out the situation there, what's going on, what Orochimaru is doing." Both nodded. "You leave in one hour, go the main gate and leave from there. Dismissed." The two nodded again and left. Hinari went back to the hotel and gathered the necessary supplies. She came to the gate and waited.

"My first mission back in Konoha. Nostalgic." She murmured.

"Hinari," She saw Takuro already there. "Come on." Hinari nodded and they set out.

"Reminds me of old times." Hinari said.

"Yeah, but we've only been on one mission so far where it was just us." Hinari nodded.

"How could I forget?" Hinari suddenly smiled. "Well, what's past is past, can't do nothing about it, plus, I didn't stay dead for very long anyway." She laughed. "Dying is probably the weirdest experience in the world."

"Really?"

"Yep, like you're falling, but nothing ever appears to stop your fall. It's really weird. But then again, that was a quick death; I don't know what a slow one is like."

"I heard that Hokage-sama made you a jounin." Hinari nodded.

"Yep, I'm a jounin; I got to skip a whole rank, pretty cool."

"Lucky you. I was a chuunin until I was eighteen. By then, Arashi was already part of the I & S. She moved up faster then anyone else.

"She just wanted to catch up to her old class I'm sure. When did you become a Chuunin?"

"I was thirteen, we took the chuunin exam and everyone passed." Hinari nodded.

"That's cool." Hinari stopped walking and held out her hand to stop him.

"What is it?"

"We're being watched." Hinari closed her eyes and sniffed the air. With a quick motion she drew a kunai and threw it to her left. Her efforts were rewarded with a cry of pain. She hurried over and pulled a small man out of the brush. "Who sent you?" She demanded. The man was completely frightened at the sight of her. He coward, but couldn't get away from her, her grip was too strong for him to break.

"Orochimaru." He answered.

"Why were you watching us?"

"He sent me to tell the Shadowfox that your threats do not frighten him." He said.

"Then, tell that snake that the fox will hunt him to his last breath." Hinari pulled the kunai from the man's arm and sent him on his way.

"Was that a good idea?" Takuro asked.

"Yeah, he doesn't know that we're headed for Oto anyway, so it's fine." Hinari answered. "Come on, we've got a lot of ground to cover." They took off into the forest at a steady run.

**Well, chapter three is finished! This chapter didn't come out quite the way I would have liked, but there nothing I can really do to fix it. One a side note, all of Haruka's brothers are named to a part of a katana. Only Haruka isn't, because she is the girl, and her father really doesn't like her. What a bastard. Review!**

**Shingane: Inner skin**

**Hadagane: Outer skin**

**Kashira: Pommel**

**Tsuba: Hand guard**

**Tsuka: Hilt**

**Nakago: Tang**

**Saya: Sheath**

_Hinari signaled Takuro to follow her. She crept through the shadows, her eyes darted back and forth to make sure they weren't being followed. Hinari approached the door that was her target. "Stay here." She whispered to Takuro. He nodded and watched her cross the street quickly and slip into the shadow of an alley. She popped back out and knocked on the door._

_"Who's there?"_

_"Shadowfox." She answered. A slit in the door opened. "What's going on here?" She asked._

_"Orochimaru continues to rebuild the army you took out. It's nearly to the size it was before. And-,"_

_"Keep going."_

_"I don't know if this is true or not but, I've heard rumors. Rumors that Orochimaru has somehow gotten his hands on a Bijuu." Hinari smiled._

_"That's fine." She said. She slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a sack of coins and stuffed it through the slit. "Thank you. I appreciate the risk you go through to help me. Go well friend." She said as she slipped away and rejoined Takuro._

_"Well?"_

_"We might be facing a Bijuu." She said. "Let's get out of here before we attract unnecessary attention." She said. The two slipped away, not realizing that they were being watched._


	4. Chapter 4: Mission Complete

Shadowfox

Chapter 4

Sakura Hanamoto

It took the entire day for Takuro and Hinari to get the Oto, and when they arrived, they faced the difficulty of not being discovered. They ducked from one shadow to another in the failing light of dusk. They moved quickly and silently, Hinari leading and issuing orders. Takuro followed obediently, realizing the possibility of Hinari knowing the area far better than he.

"Hinari, where are we going?" He whispered.

"I've got an old friend that can give us info."

"Can we trust this person?"

"Yeah, he's in my debt."

"How so?"

"I played mid-wife to his wife when his daughter was born. I saved his daughter, but his wife was too far gone by then." She answered. Takuro was surprised. He wondered what other skills Hinari had picked up on her travels, he certainly never expected her to know how to help a woman give birth of all things.

Hinari signaled Takuro to follow her. She crept through the shadows, her eyes darted back and forth to make sure they weren't being followed. Hinari approached the door that was her target. "Stay here." She whispered to Takuro. He nodded and watched her cross the street quickly and slip into the shadow of an alley. She popped back out and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?"

"Shadowfox." She answered. A slit in the door opened. "What's going on here?" She asked.

"Orochimaru continues to rebuild the army you took out. It's nearly to the size it was before. And-," The voice paused.

"Keep going." Hinari demanded.

"I don't know if this is true or not but, I've heard rumors. Rumors that Orochimaru has somehow gotten his hands on a Bijuu." Hinari smiled.

"That's fine." She said. She slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a sack of coins and stuffed it through the slit. "Thank you. I appreciate the risk you go through to help me. Go well friend." She said as she slipped away and rejoined Takuro.

"Well?"

"We might be facing a Bijuu." She said. "Let's get out of here before we attract unnecessary attention." She said. The two slipped away, not realizing that they were being watched.

XxXxXxX

The pair sat in a bar, though Takuro had no idea why they were there. "Why are we here?" He asked.

"There's a man that frequents this place, he likes his sake, and if we can loosen his tongue we can a little more information." Hinari answered.

"Okay, but, why am I dressed like this?" He asked, tugging at the plain shirt he wore.

"Simple, the Uchiha clan is known to the people because of your father's former association with Orochimaru, if they saw the Uchiha clan symbol, they'd try to kill you."

"Why aren't you wearing something different then?" He asked.

"The Uzumakis never had an official clan symbol, plus what I wear is pretty versatile to begin with." Hinari told him. There was loud laughter from a corner and a very drunk man cried out.

"I challenge any man in this bar to a drinking game!" No one spoke up at first.

"How about a woman?" Hinari asked. Everyone turned to see her. The man smirked.

"Sure! Why not? But you better give me a challenge." He said. Hinari smiled.

"I'll be more than a challenge for you." She said. "Keep an eye on the guy next to him. He's the one we want. If he tries to run for it, follow." She hissed to Takuro. He nodded minutely. Hinari stood from her chair and sat across from the man that had challenged her. A bar maid approached and placed a large bottle of sake in front of them and two small cups. She poured the sake for them. Simultaneously, Hinari and the man drank the sake in one gulp. She grinned.

"Is that it?" She asked.

"Hell no!" The man poured more sake and they drank again. Takuro was impressed, he hardly touched alcohol himself, mostly due to his mother's influence, but to see Hinari drinking like it was nothing impressed him.

Round after round, the two went at it. The spectators stared in awe as Hinari matched the man drink after drink easily. But what surprised them most was the fact that she showed no signs of being wasted.

'Heh, keep breaking it down Kyuubi. The longer I last the better.'

**"Right-oh. Give me a little more chakra to your liver, it helps."** Hinari sent a little more chakra to said organ, and Kyuubi helped her break down the alcohol faster. Hinari took another drink and watched as the man began swaying. He managed one more, but collapsed. Hinari grinned.

"Looks like I win." She said. Everyone stared in awe, for one thing, the man had never lost a challenge, but the fact that he's lost to a woman was even more amazing. Takuro was very impressed with her ability to hold her liquor. Movement caught his eye and he saw their target on the move. He followed discreetly.

Hinari paid for all the sake and followed Takuro. She came to an alley to see that Takuro had caught up to the man.

"Move over Takuro I'll take it from here." She said. He nodded and moved aside for her. Hinari grabbed the man by the neck and pushed him up against the wall. She gave his neck a squeeze. "Now, you're gonna answer all the questions I ask." The man nodded. "Is it true that Orochimaru got his hands on a Bijuu?" She asked. Hinari squeezed again, and then relaxed her grip so that he could speak.

"Y-Yes it's true."

"Is it free form, or is there a Jinchuuriki." Takuro caught the tone of her voice, understanding that the term was one she didn't like.

"A Jinchuuriki. A boy, close to a man though." He replied.

"How many tails?" She asked.

"I don't know, but it's a high number, eight or nine, I don't know for certain."

"It's eight; number nine is sealed in a close friend of mine." Hinari said. Takuro did not comment on her statement. Hinari squeezed once more. "Now then, what does the Snake want with the Bijuu?"

"His trump card, if he dies or the operation fails, the Jinchuuriki will destroy Konoha for him." Hinari squeezed again, harder this time.

"Jinchuuriki is a dehumanizing term that should never be used." She growled out. "One more question, and depending on the answer, I might let you live." She paused. "What does the Snake feel about the Fox that hunts him? Is he scared? Is he confident that she won't find him?" She asked.

"He does not fear the Fox. She's all bark and no bite." Hinari narrowed her eyes.

"Wrong answer." With that, she crushed his windpipe in her powerful grip and let him drop dead to the ground.

"Was that necessary?"

"Yeah, this should let him know that I'm serious." Hinari said. Hinari kicked the cadaver and walked out of the alley, Takuro trailing behind her.

'She's so different from when we were kids. Hinari never killed unless absolutely necessary when she was herself. Now, she, she's changed.' He thought.

"We've got the information we can get here. We'll head out tomorrow; I drank a little too much." She said.

"You did?"

"Yeah, a little too much for Kyuubi to be able to break down quickly enough." She said. It was then that Takuro noticed her slightly swaying movements.

"Here, let me help you." Takuro took her arm and slung it over his shoulders to support her.

"Thanks." Takuro grinned.

XxXxXxX

They were headed out of Oto the next morning after Hinari's slight hangover disappeared. They walked down a road, keeping an eye out for any enemies, but they were a little lax in their defenses, because a couple miles out of the village they were ambushed.

"How did they know we're here?" Takuro asked out loud.

"It's possible that someone knew me to be Shadowfox." Hinari responded. The pair stood back to back, ready for the attackers to make their move. Once they did, the two became mere whirlwinds of movement, stopping attacks, and countering with such speed that it confused the Oto-nin. Not only were they fast, but they complemented each other's movements, and blocking for each other when the other was occupied.

It went unnoticed by Takuro, but Hinari realized that she was slowly being pulled away from him. 'Shit! I'm being separated from him.' Hinari kicked a man in the gut. "Takuro!" She called out. He turned, but was quickly surrounded, preventing him from helping her. Hinari ducked and dodged, bending and twisting in ways that made several of the men's stomachs churn. Hinari leapt up, twisting and turning, she landed on one hand and kicked three men as she did. Hinari spun on her hand, and pushed off the ground, launching into the air and striking as she came back down. But they kept on coming at her no matter what she did.

Takuro's progress to help Hinari wasn't getting him anywhere, there was so many that once he took one down, two more appeared to replace him. He slammed his fist into one mans head and he crumpled, and he took a step forward, only to retreat two steps to avoid a swinging sword.

Hinari struck a man in the head with a Jyuuken strike, instantly reducing his brain to mush. "Look out below!" Everyone paused and looked up to see a man descending upon them. He landed in front of Hinari, wielding a Bo staff with precision. He struck in the stomach and neck, knocking the air out of the Oto-nin, and stunning them. He swung the staff high, only to have himself run through with a katana. Hinari growled in anger and drew a kunai and stabbed it through the Oto-nin's throat. The rest of the Oto-nin fled quickly. Hinari caught the falling man and lowered him carefully to the ground. She recognized him as the informant she'd spoken to the day before.

"I'm sorry Shadowfox," he said. A small trickle of blood came from the corner of his mouth. "I sold you out." He continued. "He said that if I didn't, he'd kill my little girl, he threatened to kill Arika. I didn't want him to, so I told him where you were." He said. He coughed up more blood. Takuro made to pull the sword out.

"No, he'll bleed faster that way." Hinari said. "Go on friend, who threatened Arika."

"I don't know his name, but, please, take care of my little girl, take care of her; she's still in the village with him." The man sucked in a final breath, and his heart stopped. Hinari closed his eyes and stood. She began walking back towards the village.

"Where are you going?" Takuro asked.

"I'm gonna go get Arika. She can't stay here." Hinari answered. Takuro sighed and followed her.

XxXxXxX

"That useless bastard of a father of yours isn't back yet. I could kill you now, but that would be no fun." Arika scrambled as far away as she could. Though still young, she understood the significance of a death threat. The man watching her frightened her; everything about him screamed "evil" to her.

Arika prayed desperately that her father would return soon, from wherever he'd gone off to. There was a crash outside, and then, one of the man's guards came crashing through the window. Arika screamed and curled up to protect herself from the rain of glass. "What the fuck?" The man stood only to have a kunai hit him right between the eyes. He fell to the ground completely lifeless. Arika screamed again as two people burst through the door, one was a woman of significant height, the other, a man much taller than any she'd seen before.

"Arika-chan, are you okay?" The woman asked.

"Y-yes," She gasped. The woman came forward and extended her hand.

"You're father won't be coming back I'm afraid,"

"Is he dead?" Arika asked. The woman nodded sadly.

"He saved my life and in return, I'll take care of you, I promise." Slowly, Arika took the woman's hand.

"What's your name?"

"Hinari, and that's Takuro." Hinari pointed at the tall man.

"Hello," He said in a kind voice. Hinari picked Arika up into her arms.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"We're going to Konoha, you can live there if you like, do you want to?" Hinari asked. Arika nodded. They left the house. "Takuro,"

"Yeah?"

"Torch the house." Hinari ordered.

"What?"

"Orochimaru is a highly skilled man, his followers are also skilled, they could figure what happened here years after we've left, we can't leave any evidence, we came here for a recon mission, can't be seen, heard, or remembered." Hinari said.

"Uh, okay." Takuro ran through hand seals he'd known since he was a boy. Flame spewed from his mouth and the small house caught fire. Hinari held Arika closely.

"Let's go." The three left the village behind, and headed for Konoha.

XxXxXxX

Naruhiko sat on the table next to the gate, waiting for his mother to get back from a mission. The two chuunin behind him talked animatedly. Naruhiko had to agree with one of them that guarding the gate was boring; he hoped he'd never have to when he became a chuunin. He hopped off the table when he saw people approaching. But frowned when he realized that it wasn't his mother. Instead, it was his aunt.

"Auntie Hinari!" He cried and waved. Hinari waved back. Hinari and Takuro came to the gate.

"What are you doing here Naruhiko-kun?" Hinari asked him.

"I'm waiting for Mom." He replied. That was when he noticed Arika hiding behind Hinari. She was always shy around other people. "Hello." He gave her a cheerful wave. Arika tried to hide away further, but Hinari's legs were only so thick.

"Don't be shy Arika-chan, this is my nephew Naruhiko, and he's a good boy." Hinari said, managing to drag Arika away from her hiding spot.

"Hi," She said meekly. Naruhiko smiled, glad that the girl had come forward somewhat.

"Do you want to be my friend?" He asked. Arika looked up at Hinari for reassurance. Hinari gave her a small nod.

"Okay," Naruhiko's smile widened. He took Arika's hand in a sudden movement. She cringed in fright.

"I won't hurt you, friends don't hurt each other." He told her. Arika nodded. "Come on; let's go meet my other friends." Forgetting about waiting for his mother, he ran off, dragging Arika along. Hinari laughed slightly.

"Let's go report to the Hokage already so we can have the rest of the day off." Takuro said.

"Good idea." They pair headed to Konohamaru's office to report their findings. Takuro knocked.

"Come in." Hinari pushed the door open and they entered. "Ah, you're back, report?"

"Orochimaru's got his hands on a Bijuu." Hinari said.

"Sealed?"

"Unconfirmed. But, it's the Hachibi at the very least." She told him. "Sir, if necessary, I am prepared to deal with it." She said.

"Oh yes, of course. Anything else?" Konohamaru asked.

"Yes, I have recently lost one of my informants, and unfortunately, he had family, a little girl. He asked me to bring her back with us. I did and I'm just letting you know." Hinari reported.

"That's fine; I took the liberty of getting proper housing for you and your students. I found you four an apartment large enough for all four of you, and I'm sure the girl can share a room with you or one of the girls." Hinari nodded.

"Thank you sir."

"That's all, you have the rest of the day off, and you're dismissed." The two walked out of the office. Takuro reached out and plucked a fast moving boy from the ground.

"What did Mom say about messing around here?" He asked. As he finished the sentence, he grabbed another boy, nearly an exact copy of the boy he'd just caught.

"You always spoil our fun!" Raisuke cried.

"That's why I'm the oldest. Stop screwing around in the building. If you ever want to make it to become members of the I & S, you're going to have to learn discipline." Takuro lectured. Renpachi silently mocked his older brother. "Now, if you're not going to do that, I could just tell Dad, after all, the job of the Military Police is to make sure the other shinobi aren't breaking any laws and such."

"Running around isn't breaking a law." Raisuke pointed out.

"No, but openly mocking a member of the Military Police counts." Takuro said, holding Renpachi up, level to his own face. "Isn't that right, Renpachi?" Renpachi nodded. Takuro let go of the back of his shirt and he dropped to the ground unceremoniously. Takuro help up the remaining twin. "Now then, I'll let you off with a warning, do not disturb the peace of the village; it's under a lot of tension as it is. Or do you want me to arrest you? It'd make you, me, and Dad look real bad if I did." Raisuke shook his head. Takuro dropped him to the ground as well.

"Okay, we'll behave, we promise!" Raisuke said.

"Good, now get." The two boys didn't have to be told twice, they ran away as quickly as they could. Hinari chuckled.

"You really are good with kids." She said. Takuro grinned and laughed.

"Thanks. It's a secret skill."

"Hardly, I bet if you hadn't become a ninja, half the families in the village would pay you to baby sit their kids."

"Doubt it." The pair wandered down the street talking. But their conversation came to a screeching stop when Maina jumped on Takuro, nearly crushing him.

"Takuro-kun, I missed you!" She cried.

"I was only gone three days!" He responded.

"But I still missed you!" In a very cat-like manner, she rubbed her cheek against his.

"Maina, stop that! It's creepy!" Takuro finally managed to dislodge her. Maina giggled, but glowered when she noticed Hinari's presence.

"Takuro-kun, are you cheating on me?!" She demanded.

"What? Where'd you get that idea? Hell, when were we together?"

"Ever since she arrived, you two are always together!" Maina pointed at Hinari.

"Well, that's because I haven't seen her in a long time, that's all. That's not a crime is it?" Takuro asked her.

"Takuro-kun, you're so mean!" Maina ran off.

"Uh, that went badly." Takuro scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Want me to talk to her?" Hinari asked.

"I think that'd only make it worse."

"No it won't, once she figures out I'm not going to steal you away, she'll calm down, I've run into plenty of girls like her." Hinari followed after Maina.

XxXxXxX

Maina sat in the dango shop playing with the last ball of dango on her plate.

"Hello Maina-san," Hinari greeted her politely, sitting down in the seat across from the raven haired girl.

"Leave me alone." Maina looked away from her.

"Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot there, but really, I'm just Takuro's old friend. Nothing more." Hinari told her.

"Really?" Maina gave her a distrusting look.

"Really, Takuro and I, we were old teammates, and to be honest with you, we did have some feelings for each other, but since I left, things have changed, we're starting from square one basically. I don't mind that there is someone out there that's so strongly attached to him, but I don't think he likes it that much."

"Huh?"

"The way you cling at him, it tends to push guys away, lighten up a little; he might start liking you a little more." Hinari said.

"If you say so."

"I do say so, I've done a lot of traveling and met a lot of people, but I've almost always encountered a person with a very clingy type of personality in every large village I've been to. Once you've met one, you kind of know how to deal with them all." Hinari laughed. Maina smiled in response. "Friends?" Hinari stretched her hand out to her. Maina took it and her smile broadened slightly.

"Friends." They shook hands, and Maina ate the last dango and paid for it. "You know, I do like Takuro, but I don't really think he's my kind of guy, he's, ah, what's the word?"

"Can't think of one?" Hinari asked.

"No,"

"Try overly protective at times." Hinari suggested.

"Huh?" Hinari laughed.

"Takuro can get overprotective sometimes, usually if it involves a close friend or one of his siblings."

"Oh, I get it now."

"You're a nice person; you just have to find the right person for you." Maina nodded. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have someone to find and speak to." Hinari stood and left, giving, Maina a quick nod.

XxXxXxX

Hinari found Hikaru standing at the memorial. "It's been a while, hasn't it Hinari?" Hikaru spoke first.

"Yeah, it has Hikaru-sensei." Hikaru spun around.

"Now there's no need for that, I'm hardly your teacher now. And I hear you've got a few students of your own." Hinari nodded. "Ah, come here." Hikaru embraced Hinari. "I missed you; you gave us all a bit of worry there when you ran off with the crappiest explanation in the world."

"I know, I know. But I said I'd come back and I have."

"I see you haven't collected your necklace from Takuro."

"Why would I take it back? It was a gift, there's no need for me to ask for it back. That's just stupid." Hinari said.

"So, how are things going for you two?"

"We're pretty much back where we started."

"Ah, I guess the words 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' don't apply to you." Hikaru said.

"Suppose so, I had a feeling it'd be like this, I mean, is it really possible to have the same feelings for someone you haven't seen since you were a kid?"

"Maybe it depends upon the person in question. You obviously knew that you two would have to start all over; Takuro eventually came to that conclusion himself. Took him a little while but he did." Hinari nodded.

"I've got a few students to check on and make sure they aren't causing any trouble. I'll see you later Hikaru-san." Hinari waved and walked off.

Hinari walked along the road, she passed by the bakery and took in the scent of freshly baked bread. She opened the door and entered the small shop.

"Welcome, how may I help you?" The baker asked as he appeared from the back.

"Just here to do a little shopping." Hinair looked at the shelves of bread and eventually picked up a loaf. "How much is this?" She asked. The baker gave her the price and she paid for the bread and left with the small bag of bread. Hinari looked up to the sky and noted that the sun was beginning to set. She walked by the Hyuuga compound to see Naruhiko, Arika, Yurie and a boy with white eyes and brown hair tied into a ponytail similar to Neji's hair. She assumed it to be Isamu.

"Oh, Auntie Hinari!" Naruhiko ran up to his aunt. The other three joined him. Isamu looked upon her in wonder.

"Hello, you must be Isamu-kun." She said. Isamu nodded. "I'm Hinari."

"Hello," he said politely.

"I'm here to pick up Arika-chan; it's time for her to come home." Arika came forward. "You can come back tomorrow if you want Arika-chan." The little girl nodded. "Okay then, you three be good now, say 'bye' to your new friends Arika-chan." Arika waved to the three as she and walked off with Hinari.

"Where will I go?" Arika asked.

"You can stay with me." Hinari told her. Arika smiled widely, as she skipped down the road beside Hinari, holding the young woman's hand. 'Been a while since I've had to deal with a little kid. I have to get used to it again.' She thought.

XxXxXxX

"Hi Arika-chan, I'm Yukina." Yukina smiled at the little girl.

"I like your hair, its pretty." Arika said in response. Yukina laughed and picked the girl up.

"Thank you, I can tell that we're going to get along." She said.

"Where's she gonna sleep?" Hyourinmaru asked.

"Either of you wanna share a room with her?" Hinari asked Yukina and Natsuhime.

"I will!" Yukina volunteered immediately.

"Okay, that's settles it, Natsuhime; do you want to help me put dinner together?" Natsuhime nodded. Yukina carried Arika off to show her the room they'd be sharing. Hinari smiled back at her youngest student and the small girl she'd unofficially adopted.

XxXxXxX

Haruka did not stir as Hideki once again attempted to sneak out. He passed by her form sitting on the floor a few feet from the door. He assumed that she was asleep. He opened the door a crack.

"Where do you think you're going?" Haruka asked. He froze for a second then closed the door. Haruka stood and pointed toward the bed he was supposed to be sleeping in. With a groan he went back to it and flopped down onto it.

"I suppose I can't persuade you to join me?" He asked her. Haruka sighed.

"Even if you offered me all the money on the continent, I'd never get into bed with you." She responded.

"How about the world?"

"Go to sleep." She ordered sharply. Hideki frowned and did as he was told, regretting choosing Mamoru and Haruka as his guard.

XxXxXxX

Orochimaru sat within his lair, absolutely fuming at the message that Oto-nin had brought him. A message that a nuisance was alive and well, and ready and willing to continue being a nuisance to him. He had hoped against all hope that the Shadowfox had somehow died when she disappeared. He should have known better, a woman of such skill does not die so easily. But, when the Shadowfox began her work to stop him, the work of one Uzumaki Hinari ended. To him, it was a good sign that although one was gone, he still had another to deal with.

Of course, having just learned that the Fox and the Uzumaki girl were one and the same only made him even angrier. Of course, learning this had caused him to vent his anger on the first moving thing in the room, which happened to be the very Oto-nin that had brought him the message to start with. It made him feel marginally better.

But his anger increased twenty-fold upon learning that there had been a spy in the midst of his armies. A spy working for the Fox. He did not know what information had been passed to the woman, but he hoped that it was information that would not concern her. He had no idea how right he was. The spy was dead, but so were all the men sent out to kill the man and the ones ordered to prevent the Fox from leaving the country and getting back to Fire country. He had a feeling that she'd lived and so had the man that had been with her. At the moment, he was stewing in his anger, not paying any attention to the report being given to him. He was relying on Kabuto to relate the report to him later anyway. The one who had given the report hurried away before Orochimaru could lash out at him.

"Kabuto,"

"Sir?"

"Tell me; are you aware of any of the Shadowfox's weaknesses?" He asked.

"No sir,"

"What of that boy? The Uchiha boy? Her old teammate, what of him, does he still hold a rein on her?"

"Not that we are aware of sir." Kabuto responded.

"And what of our spy in Konoha? What has he learned in Konoha?"

"Not much sir, he is incompetent. It amazes me that he has yet to be discovered." Kabuto told him, hiding a smirk.

"No matter, we shall be ready to march by the end of the month, weather permitting or not."

"Yes sir." Kabuto rose from his kneeling position and walked away, leaving Orochimaru alone. He walked down the halls, and came to the powerfully built cage. Hidden deep within it sat a boy, perhaps not much older than sixteen or seventeen years of age. It was obvious that the boy was frightened. After all, he had been unwillingly taken from his home no more than a month ago.

He had no idea what he was to be used for in the war his captor was intending on waging on the village of Konoha. Deep down, he could feel the stirring of power within him. Twice since he'd been taken, he'd been given a strange drug that kept him from proper control on himself. He'd already killed three people that wandered too close to his cage. He was crouched, resting on the balls of his feet, rocking back and forth slightly, eyes wide with terror, and he prayed, he prayed that there was someone in this world that could save him from what he feared he was becoming.

**Well, that's the end of this chapter. God, it took forever, I hit writer's block halfway through, so I apologize for taking so long. And we also meet the Jinchuuriki Hinari may have to face later. I'm sure you can guess what drug they're giving him too. Hope you liked it. Please review!**

_Hinari momentarily lost her footing at the edge of the cliff side road as she ran beside Takuro. The dirt beneath her crumbled and she began to fall. Takuro stretched his arm out as far as it could reach and caught her. With a powerful yank, he pulled her onto the horse and handed the reins to her. He looked back to see more of the enemy advancing on their own horses. He turned to face forward to see a gorge approaching and there was also a rickety bridge. But to his horror, Hinari was not headed for the bridge._

_"Hinari, what are you doing?" He asked. Hinari did not answer; she just snapped the reins and urged the horse to go faster. "Hinari?" They came closer and closer to the edge. He was now becoming more and more nervous. Then, with a whoop of joy from Hinari, the horse leapt. "HINARI!!" Takuro screamed, he convulsively wrapped his arms around her waist. The horse's feet continued through move through the air, as if that would help them make the jump. Then, they hit solid ground. The horse lost its footing and fell over. Hinari and Takuro jumped off before the horse could crush them under its weight. Hinari was on her feet and ran for the bridge. She quickly cut the ropes and it fell. Their pursuers ground to a halt on the other side, their horses bucking in surprise._

_"That's right bitches! You can't stop us now!" Hinari screamed across the gorge, using obscene hand gestures to anger them further._

_"You are the craziest person I've ever met." Takuro muttered when she turned around to face him, grinning like mad._


	5. Chapter 5: A Wild Ride

Shadowfox

Chapter 5

Sakura Hanamoto

Hinari knocked on the door to Arashi's apartment. There came the sound of footsteps and the door opened, revealing her older sister.

"Oh Hinari, I wasn't expecting you to come." Arashi moved aside for Hinari to enter. "So, what's brings you here at this time of night?" She asked as she closed the door. Hinari shrugged.

"Boredom I guess, and a few questions that I've been itching to have answered." She replied.

"Okay then, sit down, sit down, I'll go put some water on for tea." Arashi disappeared into the small kitchen. Hinari took in the surroundings of her sister's small home. It was sparsely decorated, a plant sitting on a small table near the window, a couch and a lamp or two to illuminate the room. There was a small hallway leading towards what Hinari guessed to be the bathroom, Arashi's room and Naruhiko's. Arashi soon returned from the kitchen.

"So, where's Naruhiko-kun?" Hinari asked.

"I just sent him up to bed, doubt he'll be asleep anytime soon though, came home practically bouncing off the walls. I think Satoko sent him on a sugar trip before he left the Hyuuga compound." Arashi told her. "Someone's going to be doing desk work for a little while." She added darkly. Hinari smiled.

"Anyway, on to one of those questions that are bugging me. How did Naruhiko-kun, and excuse me for saying this, happen?" Hinari asked. Arashi grimaced.

"Well, to make a long story short. I was out with my boyfriend, we both got a little drunk, so on and so forth, next thing I know, I'm pregnant, and the son of a bitch walks out on me." Arashi told her.

"What was his reason?"

"Said something about not being ready, it was my fault for not stopping him, or some shit like that anyway."

"So, obviously, you chose to keep Naruhiko, but what happened to his father?"

"I don't know when he walked out, to be quite frank I was glad he was gone. Our relationship had gotten a little rocky not long before that; I guess he wasn't ready for a full commitment. Either that or he didn't like the fact that I held such a high rank, even by then."

"Why's that?"

"He's a traditionalist, woman's place is in the kitchen, and he's the sole bread-winner. That sort of crap. He couldn't stand that his girl could lift more weight then he, that I could do so many things he couldn't. He was a jounin, but compared to me, he really wasn't anything. By then, I was already captain over the I & S, I made more money than he did, and he didn't like it." Arashi explained. "Not to mention, his family wasn't a major player in village politics. Even though I'm only half Hyuuga, the blood is still in my veins." She finished.

"Speaking of blood, does Naruhiko-kun have the Byakugan?" Hinari asked.

"Not that I know of, his eyes are the same color as his father's, he might not. Hell, I'm surprised you have it since your eyes aren't the same." Arashi said. "Anymore questions?" Hinari sighed and thought for a moment. She was about to speak when the kettle in the kitchen whistled. "When I get back I wanna hear a couple of your stories." She said. Hinari nodded. Arashi soon returned with two mugs of tea for them. She handed one to Hinari and sat down again.

"So, what do you want to hear first?" Hinari asked.

"How about we start with clearing up some of the rumors that have been whispered about the Shadowfox." She suggested.

"Good idea, let's see," Hinari thought for a moment. "Well, I've heard things like I'm immortal. Hell if that's true, I can be killed, it's just not an easy task to accomplish."

"I heard from one of the newbie I & S members that you can appear and disappear without a trace and can perform several jobs in a single night." At this Hinari grinned.

"Well, I can do several jobs in one night, but being able to disappear without a trace, that's only a half truth." Hinari said cryptically.

"How?"

"Like this, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Hinari formed the familiar cross seal and two clones popped into existence. "The secret to doing more than one job, Kage Bunshins can do all the same things their original can. And about disappearing without a trace, well that's easily explainable." With a quick motion, she signaled for the clones to dispel themselves.

"So that's how you do it."

"Yep, my students can do it, but not to the extent that I can. I'm sure you know that the Kage Bunshin evenly splits the user's chakra evenly among the clones, since I've got so much chakra I could create my own personal army with them." Hinari said. "Anymore rumors you've heard from your I & S underlings that you want clarified?"

"I did hear something about you being able to produce spears made of ice to assassinate people."

"That's not me, Yukina does that. She's our assassin when we're supposed to make it a public spectacle, Natsuhime does the quiet ones." Hinari said.

"Oh, I thought that one was a little weird. But, this one came from a source I'm not aware of, something about you having contacts and friends across the sea, to the west."

"Yep, I do, I asked for a little assistance in the case that Orochimaru does decide to attack Konoha."

"Really? Like what?" Arashi asked.

"That is a secret dear sister." Hinari finished her tea and stood. "I'll be heading off now, see you tomorrow." Arashi looked a bit disappointed for being left out of the loop.

XxXxXxX

Hinari and her squad reported to the Hokage's office bright and early the next morning after being woken up by a disgruntled Chuunin. They stood at attention, Takuro also happened to be present, she wondered why he was being sent on so many missions when he was supposed to be keeping an eye on the shinobi stationed at home as a member of the police force.

"I have received a message in a language unidentifiable to anyone who has taken a look at it as of yet. The only thing we recognized was that it was addressed to Hinari, it took us a while to fully identify what it read it was so poorly written." Konohamaru said sliding an open envelope towards her. Hinair picked it up and recognized the badly written katakana almost immediately. She tugged the letter out of the envelope and unfolded it, her eyes darting across the page despite it being written in a different language. When she finished, she put the letter down, a smile on her face.

"Well, what is it?" Konohamaru demanded.

"It's a letter from a colleague of mine; he comes from the Western Continent." Hinari told him.

"The Western Continent?" Konohamaru repeated in disbelief. "Why?"

"Before I departed to return home, I called up a favor he owes me. He is coming to personally deliver two hundred barrels of explosive powder." Hinari explained.

"Explosive powder?"

"Yes, like the kind used in fireworks." Hinari told him.

"What would we need with it?"

"Hokage-sama, this explosive powder can be used for so much more than fireworks, depending on the amount, it can cause a hundred times the damage of a simple explosive tag!" Hinari told him.

"One hundred times-?" Konohamaru was in shock. He'd never heard of such a thing before.

"That's right, and he has requested an escort here to Konoha. He is asking for me personally, as well as my team." Hinari said. Konohamaru shook himself out of his reverie.

"Very well, Uzumaki Hinari, you're team will head out as the escorts. I trust he has suggested a rendezvous point?" Hinari nodded. "Since we are on the farthest east side of our own continent, you will go by horse back to get there quickly enough." He said. "Oh yes, you'll be taking Takuro with you as well."

"Me? But sir, I have other duties to attend to here." Takuro protested.

"They can wait I'm sure, I can arrange it with your father if need be." Takuro bit his lip.

"Fine, I'll go." He conceded.

"Excellent, you will need to set off at once if you wish to be of adequate use I assume, so be off with you and good luck." Konohamaru waved them off and they left, Hinari snatching up the letter as she went.

One hour later, they all met up at the main gate. Arika stood there seeing them off, she waved to them with her free hand, her other was being held by Naruhiko who had agreed to come with her. Once out of sight the two children ran off, Naruhiko left her at the Hyuuga Compound while he ran to the Academy hoping not to be late.

XxXxXxX

Takuro stared anxiously at the ground below him; he sat behind Hinari, his arms looped around her waist. It felt odd to him, he'd never been on horseback before and it was a new experience. Hinari had teased him up until now about not knowing how to ride and he'd taken it, mostly because Hinari and the kids were probably the only ninja in the whole village that could ride. Glancing back, the three kids followed along. Yukina had pulled out her collapsible staff and attached a long blade to it. Takuro vaguely recognized it as a naginata. She was the only one who had a weapon out, no doubt because she was the only one who could handle her weapon on horseback. He noted that a quiver of arrows was slung over Natsuhime's shoulder; the unstrung bow was stuffed into the quiver as well.

"Shishou, who are we meeting again?" Hyourinmaru asked.

"I told you before, our good friend Williamson." Hinari said.

"Why him? He's a racist bastard." He muttered.

"Racist?" Takuro asked.

"Unfortunately he is, but he can be tolerant of us on occasion, he was tolerant enough to learn the basics of our writing. As you saw from the letter he sent." Hinari explained. "But when around him, until he trusts you don't speak unless he talks to you, and he does not approve of our customs being employed in his presence. The only reason I put up with him is because he owes me and he paying me back now. On our way to meet him, I'll teach you some of the basic Western customs."

"Like what?"

"Bowing, he's a noble over there so he expects it, if we look at it in terms of ranked clans in the village, he'd come up to about as high as the Inuzuka clan, important, but not a big player." She said.

"I have to learn how to bow? I already know how." Takuro said.

"You know our way of bowing, he doesn't like it, says its ugly, to put it simply." Hinari told him, turning her head to look back at him. Her braid brushed against his nose and he exhaled sharply to keep any hair from getting into it.

"Okay then, where are we headed anyway?" He asked. Hinari did not answer. She raised her right hand and flicked her middle and index fingers. From behind, he saw Natsuhime draw the bow and string it in a fluid movement. He noticed Yukina's grip on the naginata adjust a tad. Natsuhime drew an arrow and set it to the string, ready to pull back at any moment. Hinari studied their surroundings carefully, after a moment she spotted it, the discrepancy on the left side of the road. She made another gesture and the kids dispelled the genjutsu they had fallen under. Natsuhime raised the bow and let fly. The arrow struck home, hitting a man in the leg as he reappeared with the failing genjutsu. Yukina approached the man and pressed the tip of her naginata to his throat.

"Speak!" Hinari ordered. "Why are you here?"

"I-I-I was ordered to watch for when the Fox leaves the village." He replied, his eyes staring at the weapon directed at him.

"Who gave you the order?" Hinari demanded.

"I don't know who he is, but-but he's a member of the ANBU!" He said.

"What sub-division?"

"I don't know, but his mask, it was different. It wasn't an animal; it only covered the bottom of his face."

"That's the mask of the I & S. I've seen Satoko wear it." Takuro whispered to Hinari. Hinari nodded to show that she'd heard him.

"Be gone, and don't tell anyone that you were caught!" Hinari bellowed. The man nodded and limped off, the arrow protruding from his leg. "Hyourinmaru, make sure he doesn't follow us." Hinari commanded. Hyourinmaru nodded and turned his horse around. "Return once you're sure he won't come back." Hinari added.

"So now that we have established that you're being watched on a near constant basis, what do we do?" Takuro asked Hinari.

"We keep on going towards our objective. And to answer your questions earlier, we're headed west obviously, that means we have to pass through Rice country to get there, we proceed with utmost caution." Hinari said. She nudged the horse with her heal and they continued on their way. Hyourinmaru caught up an hour later to report that the man had returned to the village after stopping to treat his injury.

XxXxXxX

That night, Hinari set to the task of teaching Takuro the basics of Western culture, this night, she was teaching him how to bow.

"Okay, the first thing you have to understand is that the bow isn't quite as stiff as the one you're accustomed to. Bow like you normally would." Takuro did so, his arms at his sides and unmoving. He came back up to face Hinari. "The second thing, like our own culture, it is used when introducing ourselves to a superior, or when leaving the presence of one. Bowing isn't used as a general greeting, I'll teach you that later." Hinari said. "Hyourinmaru," She called. The white haired boy put his dinner down and came to stand beside Hinari. "Show Takuro how to bow." Hyourinmaru did, he did it quite gracefully. After the demonstration the boy returned to his meal.

"It looks a bit difficult." Takuro remarked.

"It only looks difficult, but once you get used to it, it isn't so bad." Hinari told him. "Now, try to mimic the movements that Hyourinmaru used." Takuro did as he was told and found it to be troublesome. The extra arm movements grated on his nerves. After much nit-picking on Hinari's part he finally got it right. "Once more sure to be sure." Takuro bowed again. "Excellent, any questions?" She asked.

"Is there a difference between how a man and woman bows?" Hinari smiled.

"I'm glad you asked because there is." Hinari then proceeded to show him. "This is how a woman bows because for some strange reason, the formal dress of women in the west tends to have their chest nearly spilling out of their clothing, so, to prevent it, this variation of the bow was created." Takuro raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"No, I honestly don't know the real reason, but it's logical enough." Hinari told him.

"You mentioned that bowing is only used when first introducing yourself to a superior, what if you're doing it to an equal?"

"You shake hands."

"Huh?" Takuro was perplexed by the thought and attempted to picture it, the image was rather comical.

"Hold out your hand." Takuro did so. Hinari abruptly gripped it tightly and pumped it up and down a few times then released his hand. "That's a hand shake." Hinari explained. "It's a good idea to have a firm grip; it suggests that you're of a confident and strong willed nature. If it's limp, you're usually a push over." She told him. "But, don't crush the other person's hand, it makes you look hostile." She warned him.

"I'll keep that in mind." Takuro said. "Are we done?" He asked.

"For tonight, we can continue tomorrow when I come up with more that you need to know." Hinari said, heading over to the fire to eat. Takuro joined her a moment later.

XxXxXxX

Four days into their journey, they crossed the border from Fire Country's small neighbor into Rice Country, Takuro noted that Yukina's grip on the naginata remained tight all through out the day, and Natsuhime's hold on the reins was loose, allowing her to reach for the unstrung bow at a moment's notice. Hyourinmaru also seemed to be fingering the loop that held his war hammer at his side more often. Takuro noted swift movement among the tall grasses, and occasionally, a banner of red tipped with white would appear from the grass, signaling that Akagane and his siblings were scouting out the terrain ahead and watching for any traps or followers.

So far, not much had happened, they hadn't encountered any more spies monitoring Hinari, now anything else, and that made Hinari worry. The fact that they hadn't encountered anything made her feel a bit closed in. As if the world was holding its breath, waiting for the tense moment to pass over and an ambush to be sprung on them. Not only that, but the weather wasn't exactly that great either. Summer was just beginning to settle in, but it felt like a mid-August day. It was hot, humid, and sticky. Natsuhime was probably a bit more accustomed to being out in the open on a hot day with virtually no shade, being from Grass Country, there was a big reason why it was called so. At noon, Hinari stuffed the reins into her teeth and retied her hair up into a bun to keep it off her neck, and removed the top layer of her clothing.

The Takeda's were a bit more lucky, Yukina had formed an armor of ice on her arms and neck and head, effectively staying cool, and the ice not being able to melt was an added bonus. After seeing his sister do this, Hyourinmaru followed suit, but chose to cover nearly his hold body with the ice. Takuro's throat was parched even though he was used to the dry feeling after years of practice with fire techniques. Just a little past noon, Hinari called for a break.

"I always hated the heat." Hyourinmaru complained as he drank several gulps from his canteen. Takuro did the same.

"Men, they sweat more than a horse does." Yukina said with a slight hint of disgust in her voice.

"Well, at least you can tell we're working hard." Hyourinmaru retorted. Yukina stuck her tongue out at her older brother.

"Oh be quiet you two, be glad you're not covered in fur." Akagane snapped, after he finished speaking, he let his tongue hand out of his mouth comically as he attempted to cool off. Out of the entire party, Hinari was the only one not sitting still. She was busy wiping the horses down.

"Next you guys are doing this yourselves." Hinari said.

"Why's that?" Takuro asked.

"Because, the horse can become overheated if you don't wipe the sweat off after the horse had been working." Hinari replied. She cautiously approached Natsuhime's horse; this one was a bit jumpier than the others and was already nervous with the presence of the six multi-tailed foxes. "I won't hurt you, I promise." She whispered soothingly, stroking the horse's muzzle. It shifted uncomfortably for a moment, but stopped and allowed Hinari to tend to it.

Once Hinari was done, she sat down and the group relaxed for about on hour before readying the horses and setting out again.

XxXxXxX

Hinari awoke in the middle of the night with a start. Sleeping had never been a simple task since she was fifteen, when the attempts on her life began. She silently left the tent she was in, allowing the two girls to continue sleeping. She stepped out into the cool night air and stretched. She spotted Takuro sitting at the edge of the camp, keeping watch. She came and sat down beside him.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked.

"Nope, I don't normally sleep more than three or four hours these days, but I'm used to it. Anything more than that is a little too much." She said.

"I'm sure, sleeping with one eye open is never easy until you get used to it." Takuro said. Hinari nodded. They remained in silence for a little while longer until Takuro chose to break it. "You're different from the Hinari I knew all those years ago." He said softly.

"The Hinari you knew is gone Takuro, she ceased to exist the day I came so close to killing you." Hinari responded. "The Hinari that sits here now is no longer the naïve girl she once was."

"Things have changed between us too; we're not as close as we used to be." He said.

"How can anyone expect us to be? We were still kids back then Takuro, kids that didn't fully understand what it meant to be in love." Hinari told him.

"I know, but sometimes I do wish I could go back to that time, that time when what we thought of as love was nothing more than childhood silliness." He looked over at her and grinned.

"There were times after I left that I wished that I could just go back and take it all back, I longed so much for the warmth and security you seemed to give me when you were there by my side. But, I realized that it was over and done with, I couldn't go back and take it back, that it was too late to do that. You had asked me not to go and I refused, that had been my one chance to stay and I didn't take it." Hinari said. "Maybe deep down, I still love you as I did back then. But that love will have still changed, it would be more mature, as we have grown and matured."

"Yeah." Silence fell over them again, but this time, Hinari was the first to speak.

"You know, of all the human scents I've taken in, there has only been one I haven't been able to associate to something else." She said quietly.

"Oh? And whose would that be?" Takuro asked, curiosity written all over his face.

"Yours." She answered simply. "No matter how hard I've thought about it, I still can't do it." Hinari's nostrils flared for a second as she sniffed. "There's a faint smell of sweat, but most people with a physically active job have that. A bit of a smoky smell, like smoked meat." Takuro looked a bit mortified at this. "But in a good way, it's pleasing, and something else, that dominating part of it that I can't figure out. It's like I've smelled it before, but I can't remember what it was." She said. There were soft footsteps and Kai appeared before them.

"I have heard that the owner of the one scent we do not know is meant to be your life partner." He said. Hinari stared then glance over at Takuro at the same moment he looked at her. Hinari averted her eyes, feeling her blood rush to her cheeks; thankfully it was dark enough that no one would notice. "But," Kai continued, "It's just an old vixen's tale, so far I haven't seen any proof in it." He said. This relieved Hinari for a moment, but she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if it was true. She let out a wide yawn.

"Go get some more sleep Hinari, your watch was over a while ago." Takuro said.

"What about you?"

"I can stay up a little longer, Hyourinmaru gets it after me." He said.

"Okay, see you in the morning then." Hinari said as she rose from the ground. She retreated back to the girl's tent.

"You still care very strongly for Hinari." Kai commented when he was certain that Hinari wouldn't be listening. Takuro nodded.

"Even now, she still means a lot to me." He replied.

"That's good, because, now that Hinari has fully come to terms with her power, she still needs someone to be there for her." Kai stretched and stood up, his seven tails twitching behind him. "And, as Hinari's unofficial family, the six of us give you both our blessing." With that said, Kai bounded off into the darkness, leaving Takuro to take in the fox's words.

XxXxXxX

Two days later, the group was crossing the through a canyon with only a narrow trail to follow. Natsuhime was in the lead, her bow ready just in case, Yukina was right behind her, and she was followed up by Hyourinmaru. Hinari and Takuro brought up the rear, mostly because Hinari's horse was so unwilling to walk the trail. She encouraged it as best she could, but it feared her scent.

"I think you picked a bad horse Hinari." Takuro commented.

"Oh shut up, it's just a little scared that's all." Hinari snapped. She attempted to comfort the animal, but it didn't seem to be working very well. The horse took another step forward but halted completely, its ear turned around to face behind them. Takuro looked back to see a trail of dust approaching quickly.

"We've got company." He announced.

"No duh, Silent Strike, Quick Strike, Demolition Drive, go on ahead, we'll catch up!" Hinari ordered. The three kids shrugged, not questioning why she'd gone back to their codenames. They kicked their horses into a full gallop and pulled ahead. Hinari's horse, not wanting to be left behind picked up its pace as well.

"Their catching up quick Hinari." Takuro reported. Hinari cursed under her breath and kicked the horse sharply with her heels. The horse nearly bucked but Hinari's snarls kept it in check and it finally moved from its slow walk to a trot, then gallop. Hinari looked over Takuro's shoulder to see the enemy closing in.

"Take the reins." She said hopping off the horse with ease. Takuro snatched up the reins as Hinari ran beside the horse keeping pace easily and drew a pair of kunai. Takuro felt an arrow whiz passed his ear and over the horses head and saw it shatter on the stone of the cliff that bore over them.

"Shit," He flicked the reins forcing the horse to move faster. Hinari adjusted her pace to stay beside him. With a fierce roar, she leapt into the air and intercepted a man clad entirely in black as he was leaping for Takuro's unprotected back. She dealt him a powerful kick that broke his chest cavity and sent him over the edge to scream out as his death was imminent. Hinari deflected an incoming arrow and snapped it in half with one hand. She dropped down to the ground and turned to catch up to Takuro and the horse. She didn't feel like killing unnecessarily, she felt like a chase.

Hinari momentarily lost her footing at the edge of the cliff side road as she ran beside Takuro. The dirt beneath her crumbled and she began to fall. Takuro stretched his arm out as far as it could reach and caught her. With a powerful yank, he pulled her onto the horse and handed the reins to her. He looked back to see more of the enemy advancing on their own horses. He turned to face forward to see a gorge approaching and there was also a rickety bridge. But to his horror, Hinari was not headed for the bridge.

"Hinari, what are you doing?" He asked. Hinari did not answer; she just snapped the reins and urged the horse to go faster. "Hinari?" They came closer and closer to the edge. He was now becoming more and more nervous. Then, with a whoop of joy from Hinari, the horse leapt. "HINARI!!" Takuro screamed, he convulsively wrapped his arms around her waist. The horse's feet continued through move through the air, as if that would help them make the jump. Then, they hit solid ground. The horse lost its footing and fell over. Hinari and Takuro jumped off before the horse could crush them under its weight. Hinari was on her feet and ran for the bridge. She quickly cut the ropes and it fell. Their pursuers ground to a halt on the other side, their horses bucking in surprise.

"That's right bitches! You can't stop us now!" Hinari screamed across the gorge, using obscene hand gestures to anger them further.

"You are the craziest person I've ever met." Takuro muttered when she turned around to face him, grinning like mad.

"Then you obviously don't get out a whole lot." She said. Hinari came to the horse and helped it get back its feet. "Come on, we have to catch up with the kids." She said, mounting up again. Takuro mounted behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

It didn't take long for them to catch up; the kids had stopped to wait and were taking advantage of it by relaxing. As soon as they spotted the two adults approaching, the three sprang to their feet and mounted up quickly.

"Those guys back there won't be bothering us for a little while, let's get going." Hinari ordered. The group continued on their way, headed west.

**Jeez, it's taking longer and longer for me to get these chapters done. And a few comments on how things are going in the story, first of all, I'm not too certain how much exposure the people of the Naruto world have had to any other neighboring continents. After all, we only see the easternmost side of theirs. Let's just assume that the continent isn't ridiculously large. Also, because of that uncertainty, we don't know how much of the culture is affected by any contact. The most technological thing we've seen so far is that of the trains run by steam in the first movie. We can just figure that technological advances are relatively slow, after all, it's been thirty-two years since Naruto went on that mission, this would put the western continent, or one equivalent to Europe in the early stages of an industrial revolution. And I am aware that Konoha seems to have telephone poles, but we haven't seen any actual telephones. They have electricity, that much is obvious, but still, we don't know for sure just how much of that technology comes from another part of the world they've been in contact with. And with that lovely note, we finally get to see Hinari fight, sort of. Kicking someone off a cliff is hardly fighting, but whatever, we will get to see her have some real fun later on though, I can promise you that. Oh, one final note, for the ANBU, the standard uniform is a armored vest and a mask in the form of an animal. The I & S mas is like the one that Kakashi wears, and that mask is the only standard to their uniform, they can choose what they wear with it, as long as it isnt "Kill Me" orange. Now for the preview and I swear I'll try to get the next chapter up as fast as I can, but I have to read for school, stupid summer assignment…**

_"Shishou, there's a caravan approaching." Natsuhime announced. Hinari nodded._

_"Yukina, recon." She ordered. Yukina collapsed her naginata, and handed the reins for her horse to her brother and hopped off. She took off ahead, moving quickly and silently, using the terrain to her advantage. She returned soon enough, heading straight for Hinari to report._

_"It's him Shishou, Williamson." She spoke. Hinari nodded again._

_"Okay Takuro, because you do not speak the language, I will translate for you if you are addressed, and remember, if any of the questions he ask are insulting, he does it because of his prejudices, and he still doesn't quite understand out culture." _

_"Right," to say the least, Takuro was nervous, mostly because he'd never seen anyone from another part of the world before. He tightened his hold on Hinari's waist a bit. Hinari smiled slightly and placed a hand comfortingly on his._

_"It'll be okay, I promise." She whispered as they continued forward to greet the caravan. Hinari let out a long breath to steady herself and keep her temper in check. If there was anyone in the world that could annoy her, that was Williamson's bodyguard, a man that felt that because she was a woman, she was incompetent in her ability to fight and defend herself. 'Well, here we go.' She thought as they caravan rumbled closer. The rattle of weapons unfamiliar to Takuro caught his attention. Some of the guards were carrying long wooden and metal sticks over their shoulders and he wondered what they were._

_'I get the feeling, that the next several days are going to be long ones.' He thought._


	6. Chapter 6: Frustration

Shadowfox

Chapter 6

Sakura Hanamoto

Two more days took them through another country that had few ties to Fire Country, but not hostile to the travelers. For the first time since they'd left, Hinari permitted them to stay in a hotel for the night. Everyone was happy with the arrangements, except that the manager at the front desk couldn't get them two rooms, one with three beds, the other with two. Instead, they were stuck with two rooms, one with only one bed, and the other with two.

On their way to the rooms, Natsuhime and Yukina made the arrangements of who was sleeping where.

"Onii-chan is sleeping on the floor!" Yukina cried with enthusiasm.

"What? What about Shishou?" Hyourinmaru asked.

"Seeing as the kids are hell bent on being in the same room, we're stuck together." Takuro said as they walked. He limped slightly, a little saddle sore, he still wasn't used to horses. "You can have the bed." He added quickly when Hinari looked sharply at him.

"See Hyourinmaru, Takuro-san is a gentleman, why can't you be more like him?" Natsuhime asked.

"Simple, I've had to put up with you two long enough." He replied scathingly.

"Oh, did we make Hyouri-chan mad?" Natsuhime pouted.

"Don't call me that!" Hyourinmaru retorted. Hinari chuckled at the antics of her students, though she had a feeling that the girls had set things up like this on purpose. There was very little doubt in her mind that they had. Probably hoping being stuck in the same room for one night would somehow make her and Takuro get together. She rolled her eyes at the thought, as if it worked that way or was that easy.

XxXxXxX

For once, Hinari allowed her guard to drop a fraction; she lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, listening to the shower in the bathroom connecting to the room. She could also vaguely hear Takuro whistling as he showered. It was nice being able to relax a little bit. The water abruptly stopped telling her that he was finished showing. Five minutes later he reappeared dressed and attempting to push wet hair out of his face.

"You could have saved some hot water for me you know." He commented.

"Well you've been getting hot showers your whole life, I didn't start getting them until I was twelve and very rarely after that." She replied not taking her eyes off the ceiling. Takuro glanced up curiously.

"See anything interesting?" He asked. Hinari smiled.

"Plenty, but nothing you'd be interested in hearing." She told him. Takuro sat down on the other side of the bed and finally succeeded in pushing all of his hair out of his face.

"You sure about that?"

"Quite," Hinari sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. "Should I cut my hair?" She asked. Though the question wasn't really addressed to him, Takuro answered anyway.

"No, it looks better long."

"You've never seen it any other length."

"Sure I have, when we were still Academy students and your hair was a little shorter."

"Hmm, good point." Hinari played with a lock of hair as she returned to staring at the ceiling. "You know, those two scheming girls did this on purpose." She spoke after a moment of silence.

"I figured as much." Takuro scratched the back of his head, something Hinari noted, was something he did when he was feeling nervous of uncomfortable. Apparently, he picked it up sometime after she left since she couldn't recall him doing it beforehand. Takuro glanced around, there wasn't much to do, and the kids were running around the town after Hinari not so willingly gave them some spending money.

"Takuro?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to raise kids?" Hinari queried. The sudden and completely random question blew him off.

"Not really, but don't you know what that's like by now?"

"No, I mean, having kids that are your own flesh and blood, raising them since birth."

"No, I wasn't really planning on getting married and having kids." Hinari raised an eyebrow.

"But, you're the next in line to be Uchiha clan head, or were you just going to hand the job over to Satoko?" Takuro shook his head.

"My parents know that I'm not interested in getting married, but they want the clan to continue, they told me that I have until my next birthday to either get married or at the very least engaged."

"They're desperate."

"My father told me that he wanted the clan revived, to be rebuilt, but he can't do that himself now. Mom's getting too old to bear children safely. It's all on my shoulders for now, but when the twins get older, that'll help." He said.

"Must suck being the oldest. But at least you know that the Uchiha name will continue. If something happens to Naruhiko, we're done for." Hinari stated. "He's the only male Uzumaki; trust my dad to end up with two daughters." She laughed a little.

"You aren't happy being an Uzumaki?"

"I am, but it's sad that the future of the family is riding on an eight year old boy. If either 'nee-chan or I get married, we won't be Uzumaki's by name.

"But you will be by blood." Hinari shrugged.

"Still, it's not a great prospect for the three of us." Takuro moved across the bed to sit beside her.

"At least your family does have a future, be happy that it does." He told her. Hinari sighed.

"You're right." She broke out into laughter.

"What?"

"You know, we've had some pretty weird conversations." She said. Takuro thought about it and couldn't help but laugh too.

"Yeah, you're right, we have haven't we?" Hinari sat up again and her stomach growled.

"Let's get something to eat, I'm starving." Hinari stood up and dug through her pack.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna change." She replied as she yanked out some clothes. She disappeared into the bathroom and reappeared in a few minutes, changed into civilian clothing. "Let's go." Hinari pulled on a pair of sandals. Takuro quickly followed as the pair headed out.

XxXxXxX

Hinari changed position as she slept and awoke as she hit the ground with a thud. Takuro was standing in a moment.

"Hinari?" He called through the darkness.

"I'm fine; I just rolled off the bed, that's all." She answered as she stood up. "Go back to sleep Takuro." Takuro nodded and he disappeared from view. He curled up in his bedroll at the foot of the bed. Hinari crawled back into bed and promptly fell into a deep sleep, Takuro's scent somehow reaching her nose. Hinari tossed and turned, her dreams were far from sweet. Consisting mostly of a voice calling for help. Who the voice belong to was unknown to her, but it was a male voice, probably not much older than Hyourinmaru.

When Hinari awoke the next morning, she was impatient and irritable to everyone. Takuro didn't speak to her at all when she snapped at him rather viciously, quite literally. His left hand was still bleeding a bit by the time they set out.

XxXxXxX

By noon Hinari was apologizing for biting him. Takuro would hear none of it. "Really Hinari, it's fine, I've had worse injuries, and you should know that."

"Yeah, some of them were my fault." She muttered darkly, she reached over her shoulder to poke the scars on his face.

"I didn't mean it like that." He whispered, Hinari was being very uncooperative and it made him a little jumpy. Yukina and Natsuhime realized that their little plan hadn't really worked, but they knew it wouldn't work immediately. Hinari yawned and rubbed her eyes to keep them open.

"Sleepy," She murmured.

"You can take a nap when we take a break." Takuro said, "But you need to stay awake."

"How am I gonna do that?"

"Like this," Takuro tickled her ribs. Hinari attempted to hold in her laughter but couldn't do so for very long. She soon burst and allowed herself to laugh loudly, effectively waking herself up.

"How did you know I was still ticklish?" She asked once she got her breath back.

"Lucky guess." Takuro replied. Hinari smiled glanced over at her students. All three of them were staring, but Natsuhime and Yukina looked rather smug, as if they'd' planned this all along. Hinari grinned and tilted her head up to see Takuro.

"Ew, I can see up your nose." She said, wrinkling her nose.

"Why the hell are you looking for then?" He demanded.

"I'm bored Takuro-kun," Hinari said, leaning back against him.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked ignoring her choice of honorific. She'd never called him that before and it made him suspicious.

"I don't know, you think of something." She responded. She swept her eyes over towards the two girls who were staring at her. They rarely saw Hinari behave like this, but then again, Hinari made a point not to get close to anyone up until now.

"Uh," Takuro began racking his brain for something to do. He failed to come up with anything and his mind began to stray in a direction he preferred to avoid as much as possible. That little corner of his mind kept popping up unfortunately. He shook his head violently to get that train of thought to go away, but it still remained. As much as his mother had literally pounded it into him, he was, like most men, a pervert to a certain extent. And the fact that he could see down Hinari's top wasn't helping matters.

"Well?" Hinari asked, breaking him out of his daze.

"I can't come up with anything." He answered; it was only a half lie.

"Really? Nothing at all?" He shook his head. Hinari twisted her body around and he involuntarily winced, her torso was almost complete turned a hundred eighty degrees around.

"That doesn't hurt?" He asked before he could stop himself.

"No, I'm practically a human contortionist after all." She replied. "I'm just as flexible as I was before, probably even more so." She told him. Hinari righted herself and looked up at him. "How did you get so tall anyway? Your dad isn't that tall." She remarked. Takuro shrugged.

"I don't know. I was as tall as my mom by the time I was fourteen, and then taller than dad by fifteen. Satoko is a little taller than mom."

"What about the twins?"

"They're short for their age. But not the shortest in their class. Raisuke is the taller one." Takuro said. Hinari nodded thoughtfully. After a while, everyone fell into silence, there wasn't a need to talk anyway. Natsuhime finally broke the silence that surrounded them.

"Shishou, there's a caravan approaching." Natsuhime announced. Hinari nodded.

"Yukina, recon." She ordered. Yukina collapsed her naginata, and handed the reins for her horse to her brother and hopped off. She took off ahead, moving quickly and silently, using the terrain to her advantage. She returned soon enough, heading straight for Hinari to report.

"It's him Shishou, Williamson." She spoke. Hinari nodded again.

"Okay Takuro, because you do not speak the language, I will translate for you if you are addressed, and remember, if any of the questions he ask are insulting, he does it because of his prejudices, and he still doesn't quite understand out culture."

"Right," to say the least, Takuro was nervous, mostly because he'd never seen anyone from another part of the world before. He tightened his hold on Hinari's waist a bit. Hinari smiled slightly and placed a hand comfortingly on his.

"It'll be okay, I promise." She whispered as they continued forward to greet the caravan. Hinari let out a long breath to steady herself and keep her temper in check. If there was anyone in the world that could annoy her, that was Williamson's bodyguard, a man that felt that because she was a woman, she was incompetent in her ability to fight and defend herself. 'Well, here we go.' She thought as they caravan rumbled closer. The rattle of weapons unfamiliar to Takuro caught his attention. Some of the guards were carrying long wooden and metal sticks over their shoulders and he wondered what they were.

'I get the feeling that the next several days are going to be long ones.' He thought. Hinari had everyone line up across the road to form a block. The caravan halted and a man stepped out of the carriage in the lead.

"What's the meaning of this?" He demanded in a foreign tongue. Hinari grinned and stepped off her horse, leaving Takuro to hold the horse in place.

"Greetings Williamson." She spoke in the same language. The man was somewhat squat, with a large belly. He also had an obvious bald spot that he attempted to hide by combing his remaining hair over it. He was dressed in long black pants, a white collared shirt and a red vest over it. And over that, he wore a jacket. In short, his appearance was rather amusing to Takuro.

"Oh, that's you Uzumaki? I didn't recognize you with your hair out of your face." He commented snidely. Hinari only grinned at this. "You got my message then?" He asked.

"Yeah, we're here to escort you to my home village." She responded. "I believe you remember my students?" She swept her hand out behind her and indicated the three.

"Who's that?" Williamson asked pointing at Takuro.

"He was sent with us, his name is Uchiha Takuro." Hinari told him. Williamson nodded.

"Well, let's carry on then, we'd like to make as much progress as possible in the accursed place." He said, stepping back into the carriage. Soon, the driver had the whole caravan moving again. Hinari spread the three out along the string of carts and guards. Hinari and Takuro remained beside the lead carriage as Williamson hung outside the small window to talk to Hinari, occasionally shooting a question at Takuro.

"Hinari, how long is he staying in the village?" Takuro asked in a low whisper.

"I don't know." She replied.

"Uchiha, how old are you?" Williamson asked abruptly, he didn't like being excluded in a conversation. Hinari translated.

"Twenty-four." Takuro replied. Hinari relayed the answer to Williamson.

"Got yourself a woman?" Upon hearing the question, Takuro blinked owlishly and shook his head, hoping the body language was universal. Williamson gave a snort of contempt.

"Not even a mistress?" Takuro shook his head again. "Not much of a man are you?" Takuro scowled. Hinari elbowed him to tell him to hold his tongue. "Why not Uzumaki here? If she's as feisty in bed as she is in a fight, then she'd do." This statement made Takuro stiffen and his face turned red. His reaction made Williamson laugh. Hinari gave Takuro a sympathetic smile.

'This is gonna be a long trip indeed.' Takuro thought dismally.

XxXxXxX

That night, after camp was set up, Williamson invited Hinari and Takuro to eat dinner with him. Takuro attempted to decline, he really didn't want to be made fun of anymore, but Hinari forced him to go.

"The sooner you get used to him the better." She explained as they headed to Williamson's tent.

"But Hinari, he keeps cracking jokes about me no being man enough, it's pissing me off." He retorted.

"Deal with it; he called me a whore the first month I knew him." Hinari told him.

"What?!" Takuro was seething with anger now.

"Dammit Takuro, don't lose it!" Hinari ordered. They came to the tent and they were allowed inside by Williamson's bodyguard. Hinari gave the man a nod; he only gave her a look of contempt.

"Ah, come in and sit down." Williamson said, gesturing towards the chairs sitting in front of a table laden with food. Hinari sat down immediately, but Takuro hesitated. Hinari grabbed his arm and yanked him into his seat roughly. Takuro stared at the food; none of it looked incredibly appetizing to him. In fact, it made him want to hurl. "Go ahead and dig in." Hinari picked up the utensils and served herself something to eat.

"Here, this one here's probably the best on the whole table." Hinari pointed toward what she'd just served herself. Takuro nodded and served some for himself.

"Never had any of this before Uchiha?" Takuro looked up at Williamson at the sound of his name. Hinari translated. Takuro shook his head.

"We don't get a lot of contact with those outside of our neighboring nations." Hinari explained. "So, most of our food is the same really." She said. 'Though I wouldn't mind a bowl of ramen to this crap.' She thought. She heard Kyuubi snickering.

"Makes sense I suppose. How do you like it Uchiha?"

"It's okay." Takuro replied. He finished the serving and looked at the other food on the table, looking for something that wouldn't make him sick. He nudged Hinari's foot to get her attention. She saw his questioning look and quickly indicated something else she figured he would be able to tolerate.

"So, Uzumaki, tell me more about your village? Is there some kind of government?" Hinari then began to tell him about the Hokage and the role the Hokage played in village politics. She was in the middle of explaining the importance of the village clans when he interrupted. "Wait, the families in the village is part of politics?"

"Yes, every so often, the Hokage holds meetings that include the most influential clans in the village, each clan has a representative, that person is usually the clan head. If they cannot attend the meeting, then sometimes their heir may attend in his or her place." Hinari informed him.

"His or her?" Takuro and Hinari noted the hind of disdain in his voice.

"Yes, some clans do have female heads. The clan I am descended from, their current leader and the heir are both women." Hinari told him. Williamson snorted.

"Who would be stupid enough to appoint a woman to lead a whole family?" He asked. Takuro dropped his fork and grabbed Hinari's arm as she lifted it, the fingers flexing dangerously. Even now, he knew the warning signs of her beginning to lose control. Whatever Williamson had said to Hinari, it must have really pissed her off.

"I will have you know," she began in a strained voice. "That my mother was the head of her family before she died. She changed the clan for the better." Hinari said in a low voice, a growl emanated from her chest.

"Hinari, don't." Takuro stopped her. Hinari let her hand fall back onto the table and she shot him an apologetic glance. Takuro nodded to show that he understood. He rose and silently left the tent. After a moment, Hinari followed him. They moved outside the perimeter of the camp.

"That bastard!"

"What did he say?" Takuro asked cautiously.

"He asked me who was stupid enough to give a woman the position of clan head! Can you believe it?! If you hadn't stopped me, I might have crushed his windpipe! Even though he said it unintentionally, it was like he was insulting my mother!" She stamped her foot into the ground. "I knew that he was racist, but not sexist! If he wasn't providing us with so much help I'd kill him in his sleep!" Hinari made a motion with her hands to illustrate strangling an invisible victim. During her rant, Takuro stood there and took it quietly. He saw no point in speaking, he'd only get his head bitten off, his mother and sister taught him that quickly enough, but that only happened during that certain time of month.

"Feel better?" He asked when she was finished.

"A bit, I'm going to get some sleep, good night." With that, Hinari walked off, headed towards the tent in one corner of the camp where the five shinobi would be sleeping.

"Good night." Takuro sighed and scratched the back of his head. He found that he probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep anytime soon so he decided to take a walk.

XxXxXxX

The next morning found Takuro being shaken violently in his bedroll. He automatically grabbed a kunai and brought it to the throat of his assailant. Upon seeing who it was, he pulled it back.

"Don't scare me like that!" He snapped. Hinari grinned.

"Get up." She ordered sharply.

"Why? I wanna sleep some more." Takuro attempted to curl up again. But Hinari dragged him away from the comfortable warmth of the sleeping bag. A quick look out the flap of the tent told him that is was maybe an hour before dawn.

"Too bad, I need to release some frustration; you're the only one here who could keep up with me." She said.

"Can I at least get dressed?" Takuro asked. Takuro was dressed in nothing but a pair of boxers.

"All right, but I'm gonna stand here and make sure you don't go back to sleep." Hinari told him. Takuro found his pants and pulled them on as well as his shirt. Hinari promptly dragged him out of the tent by the back of his shirt.

"You're choking me Hinari!" He cried, tugging at the collar to allow for more air to pass through. Hinari let go of him and he fell over. Takuro got to his feet to see Hinari stretching. He stood there staring, he couldn't believe any human could stretch the way she was. "That doesn't hurt?" He asked stupidly. Hinari rested the heel of her foot on her shoulder.

"Not really." She replied. Takuro shuddered at the thought of even attempting to stretch his leg that high. Once he too had finished limbering up, they settled into basic taijutsu stances, they were aiming to get a working out, not kill each other. Hinari came in with a palm thrust to his shoulder. Takuro blocked and knocked her arm aside, attempting to get inside her guard. Hinari bent backward as the heel of his palm came at her chin. Before she could straighten, Takuro swept her legs. Hinari's back never touch the ground though, she caught herself and sprang up and twisted, aiming a kick to Takuro's temple. He ducked and felt her foot brush over his hair. Hinari landed on the balls of her feet and jumped at him, Takuro blocked every blow she threw at him. Hinari aimed a punch to his solar plexus but Takuro knocked her arm aside, throwing her arms out wide, opening herself up to attack. Takuro took the opportunity and grabbed her by her shirt and lifted her off the ground. Hinari hadn't expected this. Hinari thrashed her arms and legs; she got a lucky hit, kicking him in the jaw. The sudden pain caused Takuro to let go of her, causing Hinari to fall on top of him. Hinari sat on Takuro's back, looking quite comfortable.

"Get off!" Takuro ordered, the left side of his face buried into the dirt.

"Nope, how many push ups can you do with me sitting on you like this?" She asked him with a smirk. Takuro took the bait. Hinari settled herself properly and he started doing push ups.

"One…two…" This went on for a long while, drawing a crowd from the awakening guards. They were betting on how much longer Takuro could keep going. Some remarked that Hinari didn't look very heavy despite her height. "…one hundred and fifty-eight…" Takuro gasped. Sweat dripped onto the ground from his brow. Hinari was polishing her kunai to pass the time. Setting it down when Takuro came down. "…one hundred and sixty-five…" Hinari's students pushed their way through the crowd.

"Isn't that a little extreme Shishou?" Hyourinmaru asked.

"No worse than what I did with you three." She replied.

"Yeah, but that was only your foot. You're _sitting_ on him!" Yukina cried, waving her arms wildly.

"What?!" Takuro demanded. "One hundred and ninety-three…You did this with them?!"

"Yeah, endurance and strength training, in a way." Hinari told him, patting him on the top of the head. "Ew, you're all sweaty." She commented, wiping her hand off on the back of his shirt.

"Hey woman!" One of the guards asked called. "What number is he on?" He asked.

"Two hundred and ten." Hinari replied. Takuro was slowing down now, he was no doubt exhausted and his arms would be sore. Finally, another thirty push ups later, he collapsed panting. "Not bad Takuro-kun, but you probably couldn't beat Lee-san."

"No one can beat that spandex wearing creepo." Takuro replied. "Even if he is one of the most respected taijutsu masters in the village, that spandex is freaky." He said. Hinari laughed. She got up and helped him get to his feet.

"How're your arms?" She asked.

"Dead." He replied.

XxXxXxX

Three days into heading back to Konoha, they came to the border of Rice Country. Hinari signaled for the caravan to stop. Luckily, a good portion of the hand signals were universal.

"We're entering enemy territory, be on the lookout, but do not engage until one of us has investigated." She ordered. The nearest guards nodded and began relaying the message down the line. Once everyone was informed, they continued on their way.

"Hinari, I'll join the kids in fanning out." Takuro said. He hopped off the horse.

"Be careful."

"Of course." And Takuro was off to scout for traps or ambushes. Hinari whistled and listened for the answers. After a moment, five calls answered. This alarmed her, why were there only five? She soon got her answer when Akagane approached.

"What happened?" She demanded.

"It's Umi, she's hurt badly. We were patrolling the border when she got caught in a poacher's trap. We got her out, but her leg," Akagane trailed off. Hinari noted the concern in his voice. Hinari bit her lip, as much as she wanted to go help the vixen, she had to stay. Hinari formed a seal and a replication popped in. Already knowing what the original Hinari wanted it waited for her to give Akagane orders.

"Take this Bunshin with you; it'll do what it can to help her." Hinari said. Akagane nodded and ran off, the Bunshin just behind him, his eight tails flowing gracefully behind him. Hinari sighed, besides Akagane; she was closest to Umi than any of the other siblings. 'Umi, if I could I'd come myself, but hang in there.' She thought nervously. The earpiece she wore crackled.

"Shishou! You're headed straight for a trap!" Yukina reported. Hinari activated her Byakugan and stretched her vision out. Sure enough, a mile away, practically right in their path was a genjutsu, ready and waiting to trap them.

"Can you disarm it?" Hinari asked her.

"I don't know, maybe." Yukina replied.

"Do it, call the others in." Hinari ordered.

"Roger that, over and out." The earpiece crackled and everything was silent.

"What's going on?" Williamson asked.

"There's a trap laid out for us, the others are taking care of it." Hinari told him. Just as she finished her sentence the radio turned back on.

"Hinari? Can you hear me?" It was Takuro.

"Loud and clear." She answered.

"The trap, I can't disarm it. It's similar in design to the one we were up against back when Satoko and Hitomi were kidnapped. But it's ten times worse." Takuro told her.

"I'm on my way." Hinari told him. She created a Bunshin and hopped off the horse. She took off at top speed, coming towards the small gathering in a few minutes. Hinari's Byakugan studied the trap carefully. "Takuro, you can use the Mangekyou-Sharingan right?"

"Yeah but, it'll only work on a person." He said. Hinari thought for a moment and stepped into the genjutsu. She was struck by a powerful sense of calm and she was washed over by the sweet scents of flowers.

'Designed to drop our guard.' She thought. 'Kai!' The genjutsu dissolved.

"What was it?"

"The genjutsu was designed for us to drop our guard, and while not paying attention, activate the explosives. Come on, let's head back." The five of them returned to the caravan. Hinari turned to the nearest guard. "Can I borrow that?" She asked pointing to his weapon. He nodded and handed it to her slowly. "What's the range?" She asked.

"A thousand feet." He replied.

"Not close enough then." She muttered. "Give me a couple extra shots." She ordered. The guard reached into a small pouch on his belt and pulled out three steel balls and a small packet. "Thanks." Hinari turned to the others. "Hyourinmaru, Yukina, get a shield going. You," Hinari pointed to the same guard she'd been talking to. "Go down the line and tell everyone to stop." He nodded and complied. Hinari kicked her horse forward, leaving the protection of the ice shield that was already a couple feet high. Hinari approached the explosive tags. She loaded one of the balls into the weapon and raised it, resting the butt of it on one shoulder. She glanced back to see that the shield of ice was already high enough to offer the protection the caravan would need.

Hinari faced the trap and aimed. One of the tags was attached to a tree, making it the easiest target to hit. Hinari grinned. She squeezed the trigger and fired. The bullet raced towards the tag and hit it dead center. The following explosion was huge. Hinari's horse bucked and nearly threw her off. Debris and shrapnel flew everywhere; some of it did actually hit the shield. Hinari covered her eyes to protect them. Once everything cleared away Hinari surveyed the damage. It wasn't too bad. If you didn't count the huge crater in the ground. Hinari grimaced. Once she was certain that her horse was calm enough, she returned to the others. The shield had already been dissolved.

"Good job you two." Hinari complemented Hyourinmaru and Yukina. Both beamed at the praise. Hinari passed the gun and the extra shots back to the guard she'd borrowed it from. "Thanks." She said. She then signaled for them to continue on.

**Honestly, I don't know how long this is going to end up exactly. It probably won't be as long as Hinari since the chapters are longer, but I don't know for sure. In case you're wondering, the guards that came with Williamson are carrying guns. And obviously, Hinari knows how to use one. Yukina and Natsuhime are weird, thinking that they can get Hinari and Takuro together when it isn't necessary. Well, keep reviewing, and if my updates are slowing down now in the middle of summer break, then they will slow down further once I start school in September. So, I apologize now. On to the preview!**

_Williamson studied Satoko intently. Konohamaru gave them permission to remove their masks and she did. When she did so, Williamson came a little too close to her for her comfort. He reached out to take her hand, she let him, but responded by crushing it. He cried out in pain._

_"Satoko!" Arashi snapped._

_"Sorry taichou." She ducked her head, but glared at Williamson, telling him to back off. Konohamaru cleared his throat and he had everyone's attention._

_"Welcome to Konohagakure no Sato." He said with a bow, although it wasn't very low. Hinari swiftly translated._

_"Thank you; it is an honor to meet you, Lord Hokage." He replied. Hinari translated again. She had a feeling that things were going to get aggravating since she'd be stuck with Williamson until he left. After all, he was only dropping off the gunpowder; he never said anything to an extended stay, thankfully enough. Konohamaru smiled._

_"Come, let's head up to my office, we can talk more there." Konohamaru indicated the way. "Put all this in short term storage." He ordered at Williamson's guards. His main bodyguard followed Williamson, and Hinari paused to translate the order. Arashi signaled the men to follow her to find the place where the gunpowder would be delivered._


	7. Chapter 7: Traitor and Execution

Shadowfox

Chapter 7

Sakura Hanamoto

They were only a day from Konoha and were about to enter the path in the forests when they sprang a trap. An automatic Suiton technique rose up to drown them. Takuro was already going. Hinari sensed him molding his chakra to his chest, but grabbed his hands and halt the seal forming.

"No, the gunpowder is too explosive; if it gets out of control we're screwed." She said.

"Then what?" He asked. Hinari smiled.

"Just watch." Hyourinmaru and Yukina ran forward, leaving their horses behind. Neither had drawn a weapon, but instead formed three seals.

"Hyouton: Tezawari Hyouketsu no Jutsu!" Both cried as they plunged straight into the Suiton technique. A moment later, the rushing water turned to pure ice.

"But they're-!" Takuro was cut off when Hinari pressed a finger to his lips.

"They're not done yet." She replied. Takuro turned back to see the ice cracking and opening up enough to allow both of them through. They stepped from the mass of shining ice. Both turned around and pressed a hand to the ice.

"Kai." Cracks raced through the ice and it fell apart and melted back into water that was quickly evaporated.

"Amazing." Takuro murmured. He'd never seen anything like it.

"Impressed?" Hinari asked. He nodded. What the Takeda children could do was absolutely astonishing; he doubted he'd ever see anything like it in his life. "Right, let's keep moving." Hinari said as Hyourinmaru and Yukina mounted up again.

XxXxXxX

Hinari grinned, the journey was almost over, and she could already see the very top of the Hokage Monument.

"Finally." She heard Takuro muttered. She bit back a laugh. They came through the trees and the village spilled out below them. Behind her, the guards gasped in awe. They'd never seen anything like Konoha.

"Halt!" From the shadows crept a group of four. They were quickly identified as I & S members. "Who are these people?" They demanded upon realizing that Hinari was there.

"They are transporting very important goods to Konoha." Hinari answered. The squad wasn't Arashi's; their scents were new to Hinari.

"We're on orders from the Hokage to inspect anything going in or out of Konoha." The captain of the squad said.

"Very well." Hinari sighed. "Open up the carts and let them see what's inside!" She ordered. The guards stared at her. Williamson recognizing the meaning leaned out the window.

"Do it!" He bellowed. The guards scrambled to comply. The four ANBU began to check the over the merchandise. Hinari caught a scent on the wind and a moment later, Arashi's squad came from the trees.

"Stand down!" Arashi ordered. The four quickly backed off. "This will be the only exception to those orders. My squad will escort them to the village, you remain here!" Arashi said.

"Yes Arashi-taichou!" The captain of the lower squad saluted and signaled for the others to pull back. Once they were gone, Arashi turned towards Hinari and Takuro.

"Welcome back."

"It's good to be back after all that traveling." Hinari laughed. The caravan got moving again, Arashi remained beside her sister while the other three spread out. Hitomi was walking next to Hyourinmaru.

"I don't believe we've been introduced." Hyourinmaru said.

"I don't think so." Hitomi responded. "I'm Hyuuga Hitomi."

"Takeda Hyourinmaru. I take it you're one of Shishou's cousins?"

"Yes, her mother and mine were sisters." Hitomi told him.

"Ah, you can actually trace back how you're related." Hitomi giggled. It was true; she wasn't sure which of her relatives were aunts, uncles, or cousins, so she just called them all cousins.

"Hitomi!" Satoko snapped.

"Ah, sorry." Hitomi returned to keep an eye out, though her other eye was still focused on Hyourinmaru. He seemed to notice this and smirked slightly.

XxXxXxX

The caravan approached the gate and Hinari blinked in surprise, there stood the Hokage, waiting for them. Of course he was watched over by two ANBU squads who were hiding out in various places. Hinair smiled, she admired Konohamaru's daring to come out into the open like this. Hinari pulled on the reins and came to a stop and dismounted, and Takuro right behind her. The others came in and they all bowed respectfully. Konohamaru returned with a nod of his head. Williamson stepped out of the carriage and came forward, that's when he noticed Satoko and her crop of bright pink hair pulled into a ponytail.

Williamson studied Satoko intently. Konohamaru gave them permission to remove their masks and she did. When she did so, Williamson came a little too close to her for her comfort. He reached out to take her hand; she let him, but responded by crushing it. He cried out in pain.

"Satoko!" Arashi snapped.

"Sorry taichou." She ducked her head, but glared at Williamson, telling him to back off. Konohamaru cleared his throat and he had everyone's attention.

"Welcome to Konohagakure no Sato." He said with a bow, although it wasn't very low. Hinari swiftly translated.

"Thank you; it is an honor to meet you, Lord Hokage." He replied. Hinari translated again. She had a feeling that things were going to get aggravating since she'd be stuck with Williamson until he left. After all, he was only dropping off the gunpowder; he never said anything to an extended stay, thankfully enough. Konohamaru smiled.

"Come, let's head up to my office, we can talk more there." Konohamaru indicated the way. "Put all this in short term storage." He ordered at Williamson's guards. His main bodyguard followed Williamson, and Hinari paused to translate the order. Arashi signaled the men to follow her to find the place where the gunpowder would be delivered.

They came up to the office and Konohamaru had Kakashi bring in a chair for Williamson to sit in. The others remained standing and at attention. Hinari stood closest to the desk translating between the pair. Once negotiations were complete Hinari, glad she wouldn't have to switch back and forth between the two languages.

"Hyourinmaru, take Williamson to a hotel and get him a room." Hinari ordered. "I have something I wish to talk to Hokage-sama about." She said. Hyourinmaru nodded.

"This way." He said sharply, Williamson stood and followed the boy out, his bodyguard not too far behind.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Konohamaru asked.

"There is a spy in Konoha." Hinari said.

"And you have proof of this?"

"Yes, we ran into one of his informants when we left the village. I have no name, but I do know that he is a member of the I & S." Satoko looked over at Eiji who seemed to be fidgeting.

"Oh? Is that all?" Konohamaru asked.

"Yes sir." Satoko noticed at Eiji had taken a step back. Finally, he ran. At least, he tried to. Yukina barred the door and knocked him back. Hitomi held him down.

"Eiji, what the fuck were you thinking?" Satoko demanded.

"I-I-I-He said he was going to kill me if I didn't do it!" He cried.

"Who?" Eiji didn't speak, but began to cry. "Who?!" Hitomi demanded, pressing her glowing palm to his chest, right where his heart was. "Answer!"

"OROCHIMARU!" He screamed. "He said he'd spare my life when he attacked Konoha." Eiji said.

"When is he going to attack?" Konohamaru asked him calmly.

"I don't know. Sometime in the next two months, I don't know when exactly!" Eiji said. "But, he doesn't want to just destroy Konoha; he wants to conquer all of Fire Country. He's starting with Konoha, and then he'll move to the capital."

"Satoko, fetch someone from the Military Police." Konohamaru replied. Satoko nodded and hurried off. Some minutes later she returned with her father.

"You sent for me Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, arrest this man for treason." Sasuke hauled Eiji to his feet and gripped him tightly by the wrists.

"You are hereby under arrest by order of the Nanadaime Hokage, Konohamaru-sama." Sasuke spoke to Eiji. Eiji did not protest, he seemed rather resigned to his fate. With that said, Sasuke took him away to be held until his trial.

XxXxXxX

A week later, Eiji was publicly executed to send a message to any other spies in the village. Eiji stood on a platform in the center of the village. His hands tied behind his back. He faced the crowd with a stoic expression, he knew that if he was caught, this would be his fate, and he had accepted it. Arashi stepped onto the platform, a large axe in her hands. She was draped in a heavy cloak and a hood that hid her face. Konohamaru came after her.

"People of Konoha! This man has been convicted of treason against Konohagakure no Sato! As a lesson to his master and any other spies that may remain, we will now execute him!" Konohamaru wore a mask of calm, though deep down, he didn't want to have to execute the man, he would have simply thrown Eiji in prison if he could have, but the decision had not been his alone to make. He nodded to Arashi. She stepped forward and raised the axe as Eiji was shoved to his knees by Satoko and Hitomi; they two were also covered in a cloak and hood to hide their identities. Eiji closed his eyes and waited for the blow.

The audience of villagers were crying out in anger, damning him for his crimes, cursing him, some he knew, were probably throwing rotten produce at him, he could smell some of it as it hit him in the chest. Arashi and her remaining squad had been given the choice of executing Eiji themselves, or having someone else do it. They felt the need to do it themselves. The head captain raised the axe and steeled herself for the blow. Eiji took a final breath before death engulfed him. There was a sickening crunch as the axe cut through his neck, separating his head from shoulders. The noise from the crowd died down as Eiji's body was taken away to be properly disposed of.

Soon the crowd dispersed and the three women removed their hoods, staring at the blood that stained the wooden planks of the platform. After a moment of silence between them, Arashi handed the axe to a nearby chuunin for it to be cleaned and they walked away, discarding the cloaks as they went.

XxXxXxX

There was a thick tension hanging over the village, though Konohamaru had asked everyone present at the time to remain silent, somehow, the whole village seemed to know that they were facing war. Everyone went about their business quickly, never going out alone, and never stopping on the street to talk to a friend. It was tense, and it was frustrating.

Takuro sat in Hinari's apartment; she'd asked him over so that they could go see Tsubaki. She was in the middle of her shower. He heard the water shut off and a moment later Hinari appeared wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her. Takuro pointedly looked away. Hinari paused in front of him, her wet hair dripping on the floor.

"That's right; you still haven't seen a woman have you?" She asked. Takuro shook his head. He looked at her, and then looked away again. "It's a wonder you haven't gotten married yet." She said, leaning forward a bit.

"Uh," Takuro couldn't speak.

"Hmm?"

"The towel, it, uh," Takuro clapped his hand over his eyes. Hinari looked down to see that the towel had come loose and had momentarily shown him everything. She blushed and fixed it. She quickly retreated to her room to get dressed. She returned again once she was dressed, but Takuro was still blushing brightly. Hinari grinned.

"Well, come on then." She said. Takuro stood up and they headed out.

They came to Tsubaki's house and Hinari knocked on the door. Tsubaki opened it and let them in.

"Haven't seen you two in a while, I was starting to think you'd run off and eloped or something." She said with a laugh. Takuro blushed again. "What's with him?" She asked.

"Uh, later." Hinari told her. Tsubaki frowned. They came to the living room and sat down. "So, how much longer?" She asked, pointing at Tsubaki's large belly.

"Soon, I hope. By the end of the month at least." She said. "Oh, would you like something to drink?" She asked. Both nodded. Tsubaki stood up, but Takuro rose as well.

"I'll get it." He offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, you just sit and rest; you need your energy after all." He said.

"Okay then." Takuro disappeared into the kitchen. Hinari and Tsubaki sat talking about things, Hinari telling her about the missions she and Takuro had been sent on. Tsubaki began to say something but stopped and shuddered visibly.

"Tsubaki?" Hinari stood up and approached her friend. Tsubaki shuddered again, and pain was written clearly across her face. Suddenly, the seat became wet and a small pool of water collected at Tsubaki's feet.

"The baby's coming." Tsubaki said. Hinari bit her lip. She ran into the kitchen.

"Takuro!"

"What?"

"Get to the hospital and bring us nurses." Hinari ordered.

"Why?"

"Tsubaki's gone into labor!" Hinari replied as she hurried back to Tsubaki's side. "But first, help me move her to the bedroom." Takuro and Hinari picked her up and moved her, placing her down carefully on the bed. Tsubaki gave a cry of pain. "Get going Takuro, I can only do so much for her and the baby!" Takuro nodded and ran off. "Okay, Tsubaki, just keep breathing, I'll get some stuff I'll need." Hinari rushed off looking through the house for what she'd need. She returned to Tsubaki who was obviously in pain. She helped support her legs with a large bundle of towels under each knee. Hinari pushed up Tsubaki's shirt and pulled her pants off.

"Where the hell is Asuma?!" Tsubaki demanded in between contractions.

"He's on a mission right now Tsubaki." Hinari reassured her. Tsubaki gripped a pillow tightly. Hinari needed some anesthetic; the pain was beginning to overwhelm Tsubaki now. She desperately dug through all her pockets, hoping and praying that she might find the right plant. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and came out with a leafy plant. "No way!" She cried in surprise. Hinari plucked off the leaves. "Here, eat it." She shoved the leaves into Tsubaki's mouth. The blonde woman chewed and swallowed.

"What was that?"

"Scopolamine, it's a natural anesthetic, it should be taking effect within another ten minutes since you ingested it in its purest form." Hinari said. Tsubaki nodded and ground her teeth.

"How much longer until I can start pushing?" She demanded. Hinari checked, not long now, with the way these contractions are coming, Takuro might even be late." Hinari said. Tsubaki cried out, and Hinari checked again. "Okay, push carefully, don't tire yourself out." Tsubaki did as she was told, pushing and stopping to breath. Sweat ran down her brow and dripped onto her shirt.

Hinari reached in carefully and helped the baby along. "Push Tsubaki." Tsubaki grunted and pushed as hard as she could. Tsubaki heaved a sigh of relief and Hinari grabbed a spare towel she'd brought and dipped it in warm water. She cleaned the baby off, and cleaned out its mouth and nose. Once all air passages were clear, the baby began to wail. Tsubaki gasped, she couldn't believe it, she'd actually given birth. She smiled.

"My baby," She whispered. Despite the having just delivered the baby, Tsubaki felt like she was full of energy.

"Congratulations Tsubaki, it's a girl." Hinari carefully handed the baby girl to Tsubaki. She cradled the baby in her arms and smiled.

"She's beautiful." Hinari stepped back and smiled.

"What are you going to name her?"

"We never decided, I'll wait until Asuma gets back, he said he'd be back today." Tsubaki said. They heard footsteps down the hall.

"Hinari? Tsubaki?" Takuro had returned.

"In here." Takuro entered, with a couple nurses and a doctor in tow. "You're late." Hinari said.

"Oh my, is the baby healthy?" A nurse asked.

"Looks that way, starting screaming as soon as I cleaned her off." Hinari said.

"You helped her give birth?" The doctor looked at Hinari incredulously.

"Yep, second time I've been a mid-wife, I must say, this one was a lot easier." Hinari said. The doctor blinked.

"Yuuhi-san, we'd like to take you and your daughter to the hospital just to make sure everything is okay." The doctor said.

"Okay, that's fine with me." Tsubaki said. She was too exhausted to move so Takuro and Hinari carried her out to a gurney waiting outside and she was taken to the hospital in a cart. Hinari grinned.

"Is giving birth as painful as it sounds?" Takuro asked.

"Why not ask Tsubaki, she's the one with the baby, not me." Hinari said. "I'm gonna go clean up. If you need me, I'll be at the gate waiting for Asuma, to tell him the good news." Hinari said, walking off.

"Okay then, see you later then."

XxXxXxX

Four hours later, Asuma walked through the main gate to be greeted by Hinari.

"Asuma, you'd better get your ass to the hospital."

"Why? Is it Tsubaki? Is she okay?" He asked in a rush. Hinari laughed.

"Tsubaki's fine, she gave birth about four hours ago, it's a girl." Hinari told him. She glanced at Asuma and noticed that he seemed a bit torn; she knew he had to report in, but he wanted to get to the hospital. "You can report in tomorrow, get to the hospital before she comes here looking for you herself." Hinari said. Asuma nodded and smiled.

"Thanks Hinari!" He cried as he ran off, making a bee line for the hospital. Hinari smiled slightly, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen anyone so happy before. Her stomach grumbled and she realized how hungry she as.

'What should I have for lunch?' She asked herself. Thinking for a moment, she decided to treat herself to something good, after a week and a half of eating nothing but rations and dried food, she was ready for something hot and made fresh.

XxXxXxX

Haruka sat in the restaurant waiting. She'd called up Hiro and asked him to join her for lunch. The door opened and a tall man wearing a thick heavy jacket with the hood pulled on stepped inside. Haruka stared for a moment, but then she saw the sunglasses and realized who it way.

"Hiro! Hiro, over here!" She called, waving an arm. Hiro walked over to the table she sat and slid into a seat.

"It has been a long time Haruka." He said. Haruka giggled.

"Yep, six years is a long time. How've you been?" She asked.

"Fine." He answered. A waitress walked over and gave Hiro a nervous look.

"Are we ready to order?" She asked.

"Not yet, we're waiting for one more person." Haruka replied.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Water." Hiro said.

"Same here." The waitress walked off and the two fell into silence. A few minutes later, the door opened again and a woman with thick brown hair entered. The markings on her cheeks told Haruka who she was instantly. "Kana!" She called to the woman. Behind the woman, two very large dogs sat outside, looking bored. Kana approached the table and sat down next to Hiro.

"Hey Haruka, I heard you joined the Guard." Kana said.

"Yep." Haruka grinned. "I hear you've been doing well." Kana nodded.

"Kuromaru wanted to come in and see you, but most places don't let them in anymore since they got so big." Kana said nodding towards the two dogs sitting next to the door.

"I'll say hi later than." Haruka decided. The waitress returned and took their orders and dropped off three glasses of water.

"So, what's it like in the Guard?" Kana asked.

"It's great, except, I'm the only woman out of the twelve of us." She said.

"That sucks."

"Yeah, but some of them say that I hardly act like a woman so they forget that I am one sometimes." Kana laughed at that. "Mamoru, my partner is off with Hideki-sama. He volunteered to watch over the brat for the day so I could see a few friends." She said.

"The daimyo's son must be a handful." Kana remarked.

"Yeah, thinks he can have everything he wants. The only reason Mamoru and I were chosen to be his guards was because I was the only woman, and he _had_ to take my partner with me." Haruka rolled her eyes.

"It seems that he does not truly care about the things he should care about." Hiro said. The two women had forgotten he was there, he was so quiet.

"That's what Hinari said. She and her students were staying in the same hotel we're in; she caught him sneaking out the front door to find a few prostitutes. She made him stay in the lobby until Mamoru and I showed up. She told him that if he didn't get his act together, Fire Country would be screwed when he becomes daimyo." Haruka said.

"She's got a point. But, I haven't seen Hinari at all since she got back, I heard a lot of people talking about it, but I still haven't seen her." Kana said.

"Nor have I."

"She's around, spends most of her time here with Takuro." Haruka said.

"Of course." Kana smirked. The door to the restaurant opened and the subject of their conversation walked in.

"Speak of the devil." Haruka muttered. "Hey, Hinari, come join us!" She called. Hinari spotted her and walked over.

"Hey guys, haven't seen any of you in a while." Hinari said.

"Yeah, I haven't seen you at all." Kana said. Hinari grinned. "Did Kuromaru or Tsukishiro say anything on your way in?" She asked suddenly.

"No, they just gave me a nod." Hinari said.

"It has been too long Hinari." Hiro said.

"It has, hasn't it Hiro. Dear god man, I can hardly see your face anymore. Hell, I don't even know what your face looks like under those sunglasses." Hinari remarked.

"It's okay Hinari, even I, his old teammate still don't know what he looks like." Haruka said. Hinari and Kana laughed at this. Hinari noticed that Hiro's cheeks were a tad pink from the comment, but she didn't say anything about it. A waitress took Hinari's order and hurried off.

Once everyone's meal arrived they began to eat, not really talking, but still enjoying themselves. When everyone finished they paid for the food and left. Haruka said hi to Kuromaru and he responded by knocking her over and giving her face a thorough washing.

"Kuromaru!" Kana snapped. He stopped and moved away from Haruka.

"Sorry." He said.

"He talks." Hinari commented.

"Yeah, most do eventually learn to talk." Kana said. "Even those foxes you run with talk don't they?"

"Yeah, they do." Hinari replied. "Well, I gotta get going, it was nice seeing you three again, see you later!" Hinari ran off.

XxXxXxX

Orochimaru couldn't believe that he'd lost another spy. But, it hardly mattered now; it was almost time to go. Just another couple of weeks and they'd be ready. He rose from his seat and walked down the hall towards the Jinchuuriki he'd been holding captive. As usual, the boy sat in the farthest corner, never speaking, and hardly making a sound. He knew that the boy feared what he was, but Orochimaru grinned. He planned on turning the boy's fear into rage and anger, the easiest way to release the demon within. Of course, the process would be sped up a bit.

Though the boy was just his Plan B in case anything went wrong, it was never a bad thing to not have him fully prepared. Orochimaru watched the boy rock back and forth in his crouched position. After a while, he grew bored and walked away. He came to a large opening deep within his stronghold where his troops were being trained. He knew that they were all very well trained and could stand up to Konoha's standard forces, but he knew there were several among the masses of Konoha shinobi who stood out. Based on his sources, the most outstanding ones all seemed to come from the same graduating classes as well. He could name off the ones that would prove the most difficult ones on both hands, fortunately enough. But still, it would make things difficult, since not only were those few dangerous, but capable of taking on many opponents all at once.

Orochimaru stared down at the troops and grinned, unlike his last failed ambition, this one was guaranteed to work. Especially since Iwagakure had agreed to help. They were still sore from their loss to Konoha's Yellow Flash in the last Great Shinobi War. Of course, they had no idea that they'd be facing the grandchildren of said man, both of which were counted among the most dangerous of the still active shinobi. The time was almost right and he was shaking with anticipation. His long snake-like tongue protruded his mouth and flicked out for a moment. It retracted back into his mouth and he laughed hysterically at Konoha's fall.

XxXxXxX

Konohamaru reached for a cup of tea sitting on his desk but stopped when the clay cup shattered, spilling the hot liquid over the desk and ruining a scroll he was writing. Konohamaru narrowed his eyes and swiveled in his chair to look up at the sun. And sure enough, just like thirty-two years ago, the sun encircled by a rainbow. 'Orochimaru.'

**There we go, faster than what I've been putting up lately, for Temari Sabaku Nara who asked me very nicely to do this since she wanted to read next chapter before she goes on vacation. So, I'll have next chapter up soon, I wanna get as much as possible done before I go back to school in a month. And, I shall decide on Tsubaki and Asuma's daughter's name later, please review!**

**Hyouton: Tezawari Hyouketsu no JutsuIce Release: Freezing Touch Technique**

_Hinari could feel it; the village had become even tenser since Eiji's execution. She sat on the Hokage Monument, sitting on her father's head. It'd been so long since she been up here, it was nostalgic, but she had no time to think of such memories now. No, not when Konoha was on the brink of war, she could feel it. She could hear it, the birds didn't sing as loudly as normal, she could smell it, and the fear in the forest dwelling creatures was obvious. She knew it was coming, she knew that it was inevitable, no matter what. _

_All that she could do was wait, wait and hope that Konoha could mobilize fast enough to stop the invasion before they lost. Konoha wasn't short on troops, this was the most they'd had since the last invasion a little over thirty years ago. She looked up at the sun and saw the rainbow that circled around the golden orb. She was aware of the omen, she'd seen Konohamaru staring at it too, and it seemed she wasn't the only one who was familiar with it. A crow cawed and landed next to Hinari. It hopped closer and she saw that there was a small scroll strapped to its leg. Hinari recognized the crow to belong to an informant in Iwa. She untied the scroll and unrolled it, reading it quickly._

Iwa has joined the Snake. Be prepared

_That was all that it said. Hinari gasped, she nodded to the bird and watched it rise into the sky. Hinari stood up and ran from the Monument headed towards the Hokage's_ _office, the scroll gripped tightly in her hand._


	8. Chapter 8: Tension Rising

Shadowfox

Chapter 8

Sakura Hanamoto

Maina sat on the bench staring at her feet. She was in the middle of the deserted park. Parents had become paranoid and wouldn't let their children go outside to play. Her nose twitched when the wind brought her a familiar scent of lilac mixed with an oppressive chakra.

"Hinari-san?" She asked softly.

"How'd you know?" Hinari asked sitting down next to her. Maina tapped her nose. Hinari smiled, understanding her meaning.

"What brings you here?" Maina asked.

"Oh not much, I'm bored to death and I can't find Takuro, Tsubaki won't let anyone come near her when she has her baby with her."

"I heard you helped her give birth." Hinari nodded. "What's the baby's gender?"

"It's a girl, I don't even know her name yet." Hinari chuckled. Maina tried to smile a bit but couldn't. "What's wrong?" Hinari asked her.

"Nothing, I'm fine." Maina lied. Hinari frowned.

"You can tell me, I'm your friend, remember?"

"You wouldn't understand." Maina told her, looking away from Hinari. Hinari chuckled.

"Try me." Hinari said. Maina sighed and stood up. She removed the hood of her jacket. Hinari realized that the woman before her never did take it off. The hood fell away to reveal a pair of fuzzy ears resting on her head in place of normal ones. Maina clapped her hands together and dispelled a genjutsu she had cast on herself. Hinari stared.

"See, you wouldn't understand." Maina said. Falling just past her knees was a tail, to match the ears. Hinari saw that Maina's fingernails had grown to rival her own. Hinari rose.

"I understand more than you know Maina." Hinari lifted up her shirt and molded some chakra. The seal traced itself across her belly.

"What-?"

"The Kyuubi is sealed within me." Hinari explained. Maina sat back down, making sure she didn't sit on her tail. "How did you end up with those?" Hinari asked as gently as she could.

"I was a human experiment. I spent my whole life trapped inside this fortress on the outskirts of Fire Country. A man with silver hair and glasses experimented on me since I was a baby. He took my mother from her home while she was pregnant with me. When I was still developing in the womb, he injected animal DNA into my mother. The effects eventually killed my mother but I survived. After I was born he immediately began to experiment." Hinari listened quietly.

"He found that the first test when I was still in the womb had failed. He tried other types of animal DNA. He did it in hopes of creating a super-human with the abilities of the animal who's DNA they were injected with. In the end, cat DNA worked. Because I was still so young, still a newborn, I grew the car ears and tail." Maina stopped and pushed her hair out of the way to reveal far underdeveloped human ears. "Years later when I was fourteen, Takuro was sixteen and a chuunin. He found me in the forest during a scouting mission. I was badly injured, I had escaped – no, he let me go. But he chased after me anyway and he placed a seal on me so as to hide my inhuman features. Before I passed out the man gave me a name. He named me Nekozawa Maina."

"Do you know his name? The name of the man who did this to you?" Hinari asked. Maina shook her head.

"Never in the time I was there did I ever hear his name being spoken. But I remember, when I was ten or eleven, another man came. It was scary, he was like a snake, and everything about him was like it. He even smelled like a snake."

"Orochimaru." Hinari said. "That was his name, the man that was like a snake." Hinari told her. "Does anyone else know about you?" Hinari asked. Maina shook her head.

"No one, not even Takuro. He brought me back and took me to the hospital. Because I'd had no other contact with people, I was attached to him so strongly. Once I recovered I wanted to become a ninja like Takuro so that I could find the man that did this to me, I want to make him suffer as I have." Maina said quietly. Hinari saw a strong fire burning in the woman's eyes.

"I'll be there very step of the way to help you. But you should tell Takuro about this." Maina looked horrified.

"I can't! What if he hates me for it?" Hinari smiled.

"Maina, listen to me. Ever since birth I've lived with the burden of bearing the Kyuubi within me. When I told Tsubaki and Takuro, they understood and accepted me. That day was the happiest of my life. I wasn't alone anymore. Takuro was always so kind to me, every since I met him when we were still academy students. If you tell him, he will most definitely understand." Hinari told her.

"Are you sure?"

"I haven't been so sure of something in my whole life." Hinari told her. Maina nodded. "You shouldn't hide what you are Maina. It's not healthy for you. You have to tell the world, let it all out. Because if you don't, it will eat you up inside, it'll make you feel horrible, miserable. So, let's go find Takuro and tell him. And no hiding those ears and tail, they're kinda cute." Hinari said. Maina blushed.

"Thank you Hinari-san." Hinari grinned.

"Just here to help." Hinari grabbed Maina's hand. "Let's go find that cowardly Uchiha! With both our noses working, it can't be too hard." Hinari said, pointing off in a random direction. Maina looked at her strangely. Hinari laughed nervously. "Oh, what does Takuro's scent smell like to you?" She asked.

"Eh?" Maina was caught off guard. "Well, it smells a bit like smoked wood, and," Maina paused. "It's a bit embarrassing, but he smells like cat-nip." Maina said.

"Cat-nip?" Hinari blinked, and then laughed. Her laughter rose in volume and she hugged her sides. "I'm sorry, but I wasn't expecting that."

"What about you?" Maina asked her.

"Smoked meat, and something else I can't identify. All I know is that it's absolutely intoxicating. I could probably get high off of it if I wanted to." Hinari said. "Well, let's forget this talk of what he smells like, let's find the person." The pair ran off. A few villagers who risked stepping out of their homes stared at Maina, the tail and ears were surprising, but if she was running around with the demon host, it couldn't be too strange.

XxXxXxX

Takuro blinked as Hinari approached him, Maina hiding behind her. 'What's going on here?' He thought.

"Maina-chan has something to tell you." Hinari reached back and pulled the woman forward. Takuro stared at the sight of the ears and tail.

"Um, Takuro-kun. I-I'm not totally human." Maina said.

"I can see that. But, did you always have those?" Maina nodded.

"I've been hiding them with a genjutsu. But Hinari-san said that it isn't healthy to keep stuff like this bottled up. She said it could be unhealthy and dangerous."

"Yes but in Hinari's case, letting it all out could cost us all our lives." Hinari whacked him on the head.

"I meant not keeping it to yourself, telling people about it, hoping they'll accept it as a part of you. Dumbass!"

"Ow! That hurt."

"You deserved it, being so insensitive like that. Just because us girls have a furry little problem doesn't mean it'll make us go on a rampage, right Maina-chan?"

"Right." Maina smiled. Takuro raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, looked Maina in the eye.

"Were your eyes always yellow?" He asked.

"No, they're brown with the genjutsu." Maina said.

"Ah, makes sense, it's a nice color, better than that drab old brown it was before." He said. Maina blushed and shifted uncomfortably.

"Really?" Takuro nodded.

"Well, see you ladies around." He walked off.

"Takuro, do you know what Tsubaki's baby's name is?" Hinari asked.

"Tsuruyo." He replied. Hinari thanked him.

"So, what do you want to do Maina-chan?"

"I don't know, what is there to do when the village is like this?" Maina asked,

"Good point. Well, let's go see Tsubaki, maybe she'll let us see the baby." The two hurried off towards the hospital.

XxXxXxX

Tsubaki raised an eyebrow at seeing Maina with a tail and ears but said nothing. Hinari pulled up a chair and plopped down into it. Tsubaki was holding Tsuruyo in her arms as the baby girl reached up to try and reach her mother's face, making little gurgling sounds.

"She's so adorable!" Maina said. The new voice made Tsuruyo looked up at the cat-woman. She reached up towards Maina.

"Here." Tsubaki held Tsuruyo up to her for her to hold.

"Are you sure?" Tsubaki nodded. Maina carefully took the small baby into her arms.

"She's very aware even through she's barely a week old." Hinari commented. "Arika wasn't this way until she was several months old from what I was told from her father."

"Yes, she's quite amazing. She has Asuma's gorgeous red eyes." She said. Tsuruyo had a small wisp of dark blonde hair on her head. It was so short though to tell how dark it would be later on. Maina giggled as Tsuruyo tugged on a lock of hair. Maina's tail moved up and gently poked the girl in the nose. Tsuruyo gave out a peel of giggles.

"She's so cute!" Maina gushed.

"Okay, my turn." Hinari said. Maina handed the baby to Hinari. Tsuruyo blinked owlishly at Hinari's face, as if trying to remember her. Hinari stroked the baby's soft cheeks. "Jeez, seeing her makes me want to have a kid myself."

"Go marry Takuro and you will." Tsubaki said.

"Assuming he'd want to marry me." Hinari said.

"Why not, he really does seem to have feelings for you Hinari-san. I've seen the way he looks at you. When I first met you, and I asked who you were and he told me that you'd saved him. The look in his eyes made me so jealous." Maina said.

"Everyone seems so convinced that we'll end up together in the end, even Akagane and Kai think so."

"Oh? How's that?"

"Kai told me that, for the foxes, their mate is the one whose scent is hardest to identify. And I've yet to fully figure out what his is so, it's possible I suppose." Hinari said as she tickled Tsuruyo's round little stomach.

"Here's a question, what would happen to your kids eyes if you did have kids?" Tsubaki asked. Hinari looked up and paused in her tickling. Tsuruyo protested by grabbing Hinari's index finger and gumming it. Hinari paid her no mind.

"Hmm, I wonder. Mixing the Byakugan and Sharingan could be potentially dangerous, or it might result in a new doujutsu. Or, the kid might only have the Sharingan since I'm just half Hyuuga. Naruhiko-kun doesn't have Arashi-'nee-chan's eyes, so any kids I have might not have the Byakugan."

"But Naruhiko's father didn't have a doujutsu anyway, so that may make a difference." Maina put in. Hinari nodded and pulled her finger out of Tsuruyo's mouth and wiped the saliva off on her shorts. Hinari handed the girl to her mother.

"That's true. I'm heading out now, see you two later. Bye Tsuruyo-chan." Hinari gave the girl a soft poke in the stomach making her laugh. "She has your laugh Tsubaki." With that Hinari left the hospital room. When the door closed Tsubaki turned to Maina.

"So, what's with the ears and tail?" She asked. Maina sighed and set to explaining.

XxXxXxX

Hinari parried and countered. She danced out of the way of Haruka's blade and came back in. She had the advantage in range of attacks, but Haruka had been training with a blade since before they graduated, giving her the experience advantage. Hinari grunted as she blocked another strike to her stomach. She swung the blade around aiming for Haruka's arm. They moved farther apart, both breathing heavily. Mamoru stood on the sidelines staring in awe.

"Not bad Hinari. You said you had trouble finding a good sparring partner on the road?" Haruka asked. Hinari nodded. "The problem is, the blade's so long that your movements are exaggerated, making them easier to read." She explained.

"Really?" Hinari glanced down that the blade, the tip of it brushing on the ground as she held it loosely in her grip.

"Yeah, but really, you move fast enough anyway that by the time most people can react they've been cut in half." Haruka said. "I can barely keep up myself. I'm not used to contact with such a heavy sword." She said. Haruka shook her hand out to emphasize her point. "My hands haven't stung like this since I was a kid." She admitted with a grin.

"Well, I guess that's a good thing."

"For you anyway." Haruka said. "Mamoru, wanna join in?" She asked her partner.

"No thanks, I'll just watch you two for now."

"Coward, and call yourself a member of the Guard." Haruka taunted playfully. Mamoru was on his feet in a second and had closed the distance between them even faster.

"Need I remind you who has the higher bounty on their head?" He asked her as a blunt kunai tickled the flesh on her neck. His other arm wrapped around her waist. "If you do need reminding, Haruka-chan, just let me know, I'd be glad to do it." He said this in a whisper. A chill ran down Haruka's spine, not from fear, but something else she was unfamiliar with. Mamoru let go of her and put the kunai away. Hinari watched the exchange silently. She was curious as to how high Mamoru's bounty was. She knew the Guard had a tendency to gain a lot of enemies, but she'd never known anyone who belonged to it up until now. Hinari resealed her sword and decided to walk away, leaving the two alone.

"I didn't know you had it in you Mamoru, to draw a weapon on your comrade." Haruka remarked. Mamoru still stood behind her, uncomfortably close to her.

"You know you're much more than just my comrade Haruka-chan." He said. His breath tickled the back of her neck, making her shiver involuntarily.

"Mamoru," Her voice broke off, her breath caught in her throat.

"And I'm glad to know the effect I have on you." He added, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer. Haruka's eyes closed halfway, falling under the spell Mamoru's voice wove around her. His voice was soft, cool, and smooth; it reminded her a bit like a silk dress her mother once had many years ago when she was still a small child. Mamoru smirked and took a deep breath, taking in the scent of pine wood from her clothes and a slight floral fragrance from her hair. He smirked and abruptly pushed her away from him, causing Haruka to stumble and snap back to reality. Haruka said nothing but silently walked off, sliding her sword back into its sheath as she went.

XxXxXxX

Hyourinmaru was bored out of his mind as he wandered the streets of Konoha. There were no missions to complete, he found no solace in training, and he just couldn't think of anything to do. He walked by the gates of the Hyuuga compound and spotted Hitomi. He paused and backed up a few steps to confirm that he had seen her. After staring for a moment he continued walking, only to stop again when he heard her voice behind him.

"Hyourinmaru-kun?" His heart pounded in his chest and it was annoyingly loud. He pondered for a moment if she could hear it. Why was this girl making him behave like this? Then again, he was a teenage boy, but that was hardly an excuse.

"Hyuuga-san, hi." He said nervously.

"Call me Hitomi; all those damn formalities piss me off." She said, crossing her arms.

"Okay then Hitomi-san." He said nervously. Hitomi noted that he did sound a bit nervous, but she said nothing else about it.

"Do you want to come with me Hyourinmaru-kun?" Hitomi asked unexpectedly.

"Huh? Where?" He asked.

"Just a little place I know, it's got a great view." She said.

"Sure, why not?" Hyourinmaru wasn't too sure as to _what_ he was thinking, if he was thinking at all at this point. The two walked off, chatting happily. Or rather, Hitomi was doing most of the talking while Hyourinmaru just listened and stared at her. Hitomi wasn't ignorant of this and knew very well that he seemed to be completely smitten over her.

"Do you have any siblings Hyourinmaru-kun?" She asked.

"I have a little sister, Yukina; also, I do sort of see Shishou as an older sister." He admitted.

"What was it like, being raised by Hinari?"

"It wasn't so bad. She took care of us, made sure we were safe, and once we were older, she started bringing us along during her jobs, before we just stayed at a hotel until she got back." He said. "Though we didn't always have a lot of money or food, that wasn't easy, but it was fun." Hyourinmaru told her.

"I see," Hitomi fell silent unsure of what to say. She would have been lying if she'd said that she wasn't feeling some sort of attraction to the boy, but she wasn't certain, they'd only spoken once before and it hadn't been for very long. She wasn't sure what it was about him. It could have been that he seemed to be very sincere about the things he said, she knew for sure though that it was more than just a physical appeal about him that had made her ask him to take a walk with her.

"Where are we going?" Hyourinmaru asked her.

"Up there." Hitomi pointed up at the top of the Hokage Monument.

"Can we go up there?"

"Yeah, not a lot of people do go up there, and it has a great view of the village and you can watch the sunset from there. I used to come there a lot. When I was a kid still in the Academy, I'd sneak out and come and sit up there."

"Why did you have to sneak out?"

"I'm the future head of the Hyuuga clan, if anything happened to me, we'd be in trouble. I was kidnapped when I was four, but Hinari and group of genin from her class stopped the kidnappers from getting away. Since then, it got harder to do anything by myself. There was _always_ someone watching me. I hated it. One time I went up there to hide, and found that it was a great place to escape to. Now, I go just to get away from things, like a little piece of paradise all to yourself, but others know about it." Hitomi said.

"Sounds great."

"It is."

XxXxXxX

Hinari could feel it; the village had become even tenser since Eiji's execution. She sat on the Hokage Monument, sitting on her father's head. It'd been so long since she been up here, it was nostalgic, but she had no time to think of such memories now. No, not when Konoha was on the brink of war, she could feel it. She could hear it, the birds didn't sing as loudly as normal, she could smell it, and the fear in the forest dwelling creatures was obvious. She knew it was coming, she knew that it was inevitable, no matter what.

All that she could do was wait, wait and hope that Konoha could mobilize fast enough to stop the invasion before they lost. Konoha wasn't short on troops, this was the most they'd had since the last invasion a little over thirty years ago. She looked up at the sun and saw the rainbow that circled around the golden orb. She was aware of the omen, she'd seen Konohamaru staring at it too, and it seemed she wasn't the only one who was familiar with it. A crow cawed and landed next to Hinari. It hopped closer and she saw that there was a small scroll strapped to its leg. Hinari recognized the crow to belong to an informant in Iwa. She untied the scroll and unrolled it, reading it quickly.

_Iwa has joined the Snake. Be prepared._

That was all that it said. Hinari gasped, she nodded to the bird and watched it rise into the sky. Hinari stood up and ran from the Monument headed towards the Hokage's office, the scroll gripped tightly in her hand. She failed to notice that she'd ran right by Hyourinmaru and Hitomi on her way down from the cliffside.

"What's up with Hinari?" Hitomi asked. Hyourinmaru was staring at the small dot in the sky that was the crow.

"That's a message is from one of Shishou's informants. By the way she was running, it must have been something really important." Hyourinmaru said.

"Let's follow her." Hitomi grabbed his hand and dragged him back down.

"But-,"

"Come on, this place will still be here when we get back. It can hardly grow legs and walk away. Besides, I wanna know what's going on." Hitomi said. She gave him a pleading look and Hyourinmaru practically turned to putty under her gaze.

"Fine." The two ran off following Hinari.

XxXxXxX

Hinari burst through the door to Konohamaru's office, completely ignoring the two chuunin standing guard.

"Hinari!" Konohamaru was surprised to see her so suddenly.

"Hokage-sama, I have some bad news regarding the coming war." She said approaching the desk. She slammed the small scroll onto it and moved away. Konohamaru took the scroll in shaking hands and read it.

"This is worse than I have feared." He said.

"Suzuka!" One of the chuunin standing at the door looked inside.

"Yes sir?" She asked.

"Get a messenger bird dispatched to the Kazekage!"

"Yes sir. What do want you it to say?" She asked him.

"Tell him that we're going to need reinforcements when we call for them." He said. Hinari bit her lip, wanting to say something, but it wasn't her place to do so. She knew that waiting to call for Gaara's aid was a bad idea. Doing that could cost the village everything, after all, it was a three day journey from Suna to Konoha, and in three days, Konoha would have most likely fallen in that time. The chuunin ran off as quickly as possible to follow through with the orders.

Hinari was uneasy now. The more time was wasted, the worse off Konoha would be when they came out of this. She knew it, Konohamaru knew it, and yet, he had so far done very little to prepare the village.

XxXxXxX

Orochimaru stood before his gathered armies. The Tsuchikage stood behind him, he had willingly given Orochimaru command over all of his shinobi forces, something only a complete fool would do, and that was what he was. A fool.

"My brethren! We stand here on the eve of victory!" Orochimaru cried. There was a rousing response from the army. "We march upon the so called village of Konoha! There may be fear in your hearts, but cast it away, for you know that Konoha is made up of nothing but peace-loving fools. That battle will be swift, we will crush Konoha with our numbers, and we will kill all who stand in our way!" There was another loud cry from the army. "Soon, the tree will burn and its leaves will fall to ash, for tonight, we begin our journey to absolute control of Fire Country!" Another cheer issued from the army. Orochimaru paused, allowing them to cheer, and then continued on.

"People of Iwagakure, you wish revenge upon the people that wronged you all those years ago. The supposed Yellow Flash of Konoha decimated your troops, and destroyed your dignity. But now, revenge will be yours!" The Tsuchikage smiled, though no one noticed it. "Come now, and let us bring that village to the ground!" With one final cheer, the commanding officers began issuing orders to march.

XxXxXxX

Hinari snapped awake in bed. She had a really bad feeling about something, and it just wouldn't go away. She didn't know what it was, but it had her on edge. Finally, after just laying there for a while, she pulled the blankets off and dressed. She passed the rooms of her students and Arika and slipped out the door. She came to the roof of one of the higher up buildings in the village and looked towards the stars. To her surprise, two people soon joined her. It was Maina and Kana. All three women probably had the best noses out of everyone else in the village. No doubt, they could all smell what was coming.

"A storm approaches." Maina said quietly. "I can smell it."

"Yes, a storm of fire." Kana added just as softly.

"But the real question is, can the tree survive the heat?" Maina asked gently. Hinair didn't know how to answer that. The only thing they could do was watch and wait for the sound of marching feet and the clatter of weapons. Only then, would they know if they could or not.

"We will fight, and we won't ever give up. We can't, for the sake of our village, for our children, and for those we love. We can't afford to give in. Not as long as the Snake lives on. I won't rest until I see his head separated from his body, not as long as I still draw breath and the blood flows through my veins." Hinari said.

She could feel it, the movements of another Jinchuuriki, still far away, but she sensed him. He was filled with fear and sadness, not anger and hate. She knew that if he lost control, she would be the only hope of stopping him. If she had to sacrifice herself and release the Kyuubi's full power to stop him, then, she would do it. "So be it." She said to herself. The three women continued to stare upon the horizon, as if they could already see what approached their beloved home. Somewhere within the forest, a deep howl penetrated the silence.

"I feel it too old friend." Hinari whispered, addressing the howl. 'Kyuubi, you can feel it too can't you? That Bijuu?'

"**Yes, your information was correct, eight tails I sense."** Kyuubi responded. He shifted within the cage that bound him. **"This is most exciting."** He said.

'It is.'

'The silver-haired man is there. I know he is.' Maina thought, smiling grimly to herself. 'And I can't wait to drag my claws across his flesh and hear him scream.' Her sadistic thoughts continued this way for several minutes more, before Kana interrupted them.

"What is coming? This powerful wave I smell?" She asked out loud, between the three, she was probably the least informed.

"A vast army, coming to shake this tree to its very roots." Hinari responded. "And a Snake who wishes to poison and constrict us all." She added as an after thought.

"Do we have a chance?" Kana asked.

"Perhaps, if we stick to our beliefs of teamwork, we may be able to." Hinari told her. "But then again, that might be our downfall."

XxXxXxX

Orochimaru's army marched steadily, their footsteps shaking the ground beneath their feet. At the very front of the line walked Orochimaru and Kabuto.

'I'm coming little Fox, and you will taste my poison before you fall.' He thought with a wide and murderous grin.

**Ahem. I suck at writing rousing, courage instilling speeches, whether they're for the hero or villain. Whatever, so the battle is about to begin, and be sure not to miss it! And no, this battle is not the final battle, I'm sure as hell not gonna end it this quick. It's not gonna be like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter where there's just this one last battle to decide it all. Hell no, that's been done **_**way**_** too many times. It's gonna be a battle yes, but this one will not be the deciding one. Oops, I've said too much. Oh well, anyway, please review, and I'm thinking, should I start something after this about what happened when Hinari was still in the Academy? You tell me what you think of the idea. I've already decided that I'll write how all their parents got together since its hardly touched upon or explained, and Shino, Chouji, Kankurou, and Gaara all have unnamed wives. Okay, done with that rant, now for the preview.**

_"He's here." These were the first words Hinari spoke as the explosion rocked the village. She looked up to see a great snake tearing through the walls that surrounded the village. "The Snake has come." Takuro, who stood beside her, stared as well._

_"We're under attack!" He called as loudly as possible. "All civilians, head for the shelters!" He called to any non-ninja in the street. It didn't take long for the street to clear of civilians. _

_"Shishou!" Hinari's three students landed behind them. "Orders?" Hyourinmaru asked. Hinari seemed completely stunned, unable to move or speak. Takuro watched her for a moment, once he realized that she wasn't in any shape to be issuing orders, spoke for her._

_"Konoha has a specific plan when it comes to an invasion. Your first orders, head farther into the village, more to the center. Go!" The three nodded. Natsuhime glanced at Hinari before following the other two. Hinari was paralyzed where she stood._

_"I couldn't do anything." Takuro looked at Hinari again when she spoke. "I knew it was coming, and yet I just stood by and let them come." She muttered. Takuro realized that Hinari wasn't in any shape to fight in general, and it scared him. _


	9. Chapter 9: Invasion

Shadowfox

Chapter 9

Sakura Hanamoto

Maina crouched on the telephone wire, though some would consider her perch to be rather precarious, she thought it to be quite comfortable. Her tail twitched nervously. Since that night, she, Hinari and Kana had stood together on that building roof she had found herself falling farther into her cat-like tendencies. It was as if the approach of her prey was making those animal instincts more prominent in her. It had gotten to the point that she couldn't walk by the kennels of the Inuzuka clan without causing an uproar from the younger of the nin-ken. The smell of cat on her obviously had quite an effect on them.

Her left ear twitched and swiveled around trying to make out something she'd heard. It came again and she realized what it was. She looked down at the street below her and spotted a chuunin running like hell towards the Hokage's office, blood pouring from several wounds on his body. Whatever it was, it must have been urgent for the chuunin to simply bypass the hospital. She leapt from the wire onto the ground, landed on all fours, and straightening. She traced the trail of blood back to the gates where a medic squad was tending to the wounds of three other chuunin. Most probably that other chuunin's teammates.

'I wonder what happened.' She thought as she approached, the smell of blood causing her to wrinkle her nose. "What happened?" She asked one of the chuunin.

"We were attacked at the border. We came back as soon as we could." One of them told her. Maina blinked, taking in his words.

'They've already gotten this far. It seems that they'll have arrived by the end of the week at this rate. We're not ready, despite all the warnings, all the trouble Hinari-san has gone through to help us, I fear that it won't be enough.' Maina thought nervously. Her tail twitched a bit with her emotions, though her face gave away none. Maina bounded off, in a slightly odd gait, hunched over low, her fingertips brushing the ground to propel her forward. A few people on the streets noticed the young woman's regression into a more primal, animalistic being, but no one dared to comment on it.

Hinari had fallen into a somewhat similar pattern. Utilizing the enhanced senses Kyuubi gave her, as well as the unnatural strength and agility that came with it. The Inuzukas did not exhibit any trait like this, perhaps because their nin-ken partner was simply the embodiment of their primitive side, keeping their more human side isolated, allowing them to function to the full capacity of both. Hinari and Maina were different, to a certain extent, both women were born with this animal within that did threaten to escape every so often, but that human part of them kept it in, only releasing it when the human part stepped out of the way to fuel their abilities.

Hinari had been spending a great deal of time in the forests around Konoha, not only acting as a scout, but watching over the animal life. The forest creatures could feel the power that dwelled in her and somehow knew it might protect them from the raging fire that approached their home. Her fox siblings often accompanied her, Akagane mostly because he knew her best. He had once again grown considerably, Hinari had no idea when he'd stop, and his shoulder now rose to several inches or so above Hinari's head. Hinari could feel a stirring of great power deep within her old friend. She didn't know why, but of all the multi-tailed foxes she ran with, he seemed to be different, he stood out more so than his brothers and sisters. As if he was meant for something so much greater than they.

XxXxXxX

Takuro watched his father pace back and forth restlessly, his hands never ceasing movement either. First they'd run through his hair agitatedly. Afterward, Sasuke would ring them nervously, and then after that, his hand would come up to the seal on the back of his neck and he'd gain a far off look as he remembered dark and terrible times from his youth. One of those memories actually made him shudder. Sasuke then began to mutter under his breath. Takuro was unable to catch all of it be he could hear a few words here and there.

"Crazy fangirl…rapist…insane…" Takuro really didn't want to know what Sasuke was talking about, simply stringing the words "crazy fangirl" and "rapist" together was enough to give him a few disturbing ideas of what was going through his father's mind.

"Uh, Dad?" Takuro said carefully, trying not to make his father alarmed and attack.

"What is it son?" Sasuke asked, still pacing and still continuing the nervous hand movements.

"Why is this Orochimaru guy so hell bent on destroying Konoha?" Takuro queried.

"You remember that story I told you back when you were a kid?" Takuro nodded, simply because he wasn't too sure as to which one Sasuke was referring to.

"Orochimaru was once a member of this village. He was a powerful shinobi; he was once the teammate of the Godaime Hokage." Takuro nodded, grasping the fact that the Godaime was a highly dangerous woman, meaning that Orochimaru must have been powerful as well. "Well, years and years ago when the Sandaime was originally planning on retiring, Orochimaru was the one hoping to get the position. But there was something about Orochimaru that caused the Sandaime to choose Kazama Arashi to be Yondaime instead." Sasuke paused to remember the lessons he'd learned a long time ago.

"Anyway, when the Yondaime was named, villagers and shinobi alike began disappearing in the village. No one could figure out what was happening. Until the Sandaime himself and a small ANBU squad found Orochimaru's laboratory in the sewers of the village. He'd been capturing people to experiment on. At the time he was trying to achieve immortality, the thought and concept of death frightened him. Though, he had no qualms about taking the lives of others, he just couldn't stomach the fact that one day he'd die. He escaped from the village and became an S-class criminal. He joined an organization called Akatsuki to continue his research, and did eventually figure out a way to conquer death, temporarily. He left the organization and plotted revenge against the Sandaime for not choosing him to be Hokage.

"But why did he want to be Hokage so badly?"

"For the power it would give him. He had no interest in the safety or well-being of the village and only wanted the position for the freedom he'd have to do as he wished." Sasuke paused. "At the time, Suna was in a shaky alliance with Konoha, and because the Daimyo of Wind Country had been cutting funds to Suna, they were desperate, so they teamed up with Orochimaru and the Oto in hopes of it helping them some. They employed Sabaku no Gaara, or as you would know him to be the Godaime Kazekage. We were kids back then, fresh genin straight out of the Academy, and taking our first Chuunin Exam. It was there where I first encountered Orochimaru and got a taste of the power he supposedly could have given me. Naruto, Sakura, and I. We were in the thick of the invasion. I started off the battle with Gaara, but he beat me, the Shukaku was too powerful for me, even using the curse seal. In the end, Naruto defeated him by tapping into the Kyuubi's power and summoning a great toad to battle against Gaara. The battle was over, Konoha had survived but we lost the Sandaime. He died sealing Orochimaru's arms away so that he could not use them." Sasuke paused struggling to remember the story Naruto had told him, as he'd been in the hospital suffering psychological damage when this part of it occurred.

"What happened after that?"

"After that, with the Sandaime gone, the first choice to be the Godaime Hokage was Jiraiya, Orochimaru's former teammate. He turned down the offer and decided to track down the third wayward member of his old team; he took Naruto with him for his safety." Takuro thought it odd for anyone to address a former Hokage with such familiarity.

"Why'd he take Naruto-sama with him?"

"As I said, Naruto used the Kyuubi's power, which was enough to put him in danger in the village, if anyone realized it, they would have tried to kill him, most likely. Anyway, Jiraiya and Naruto eventually found Tsunade-sama, but Orochimaru found her first. He gave her an offer, heal his arms and he'll bring back her old boyfriend and little brother from the dead. She nearly took the offer, but changed her mind at the last second, deciding to take the position of Hokage instead. They went back to the village, and not long after that, I defected and went to Orochimaru. You know the rest." Sasuke finished as he collapsed into his chair. There came a knock on the door.

"Uchiha-sama, there are some reports here for you to read." A voice said through the door.

"Leave them there; I'll take a look later." He said wearily. Sasuke massaged the bridge of his nose in an attempt to fight off a headache. "Anymore questions son?" He asked.

"No, I should get going and check up on Hinari, she's been more…" Takuro trailed off to find the word.

"Dangerous?" Sasuke supplied.

"You could put it that way; she and Maina are both agitated. Animal instincts, they aren't fun."

"No, they're not, at least for those of us whose animal instincts are nothing but the fight or flight reflex. Hinari, Maina, and the Inuzukas have drawn it out, this thing that's coming, they will be the most dangerous when it comes, we'd best stay out of their way, especially the women." Sasuke said with a wry smile. Takuro returned it and left his father's office. Sasuke massaged the back of his neck. 'Orochimaru, I won't let you hurt anyone in this village; I've had to kill you twice already, let's make the third time the charm.' He thought as he stood and collected the reports from outside the door.

XxXxXxX

Hinari bounced from one tree branch to another, Akagane by her side, his long eight tails flowing behind him like great red and white banners. She thought it ironic, the colors, red for the fight they would be facing sometime in the future, and white for a possible surrender, but she wasn't going to let that happen, no way in hell would she let that happen. Hinari leapt to the next tree.

"Are you ready Hinari?" Akagane asked her.

"As ready as I can be, you?"

"Yeah, we are at your call Hinari." He replied. It seemed odd to her, being able to give them the orders, in her opinion it should have been Akagane giving them and her carrying them out.

'Why is that?' She thought.

**"It's almost time."** Kyuubi said, Hinari frowned in confusion.

'For what?'

**"You will know when it comes, all the foxes will."** He told her. Hinari hated it when he was cryptic in his answers, but what other option did she have but to heed his words, everything always seemed to fall into place in the end when it came to his little predictions. Hinari decided that it was time for a change in topic.

"How's Umi?" She asked.

"Already running around."

"That quick?"

"We have a faster healing rate, because we have more than one tail." Akagane explained.

"Makes sense." Hinari muttered. She leapt to the next tree and halted, using chakra to stick to the limb to help her stop. Three fast moving figures were headed to the village. They smelled foreign, but vaguely familiar to her. Hinari turned and followed silently. After about an hour, they halted to rest.

"I'm surprised at you. I half expected you to return to Orochimaru after he made his movements slightly more public." One of the figures spoke, he had a medium build in comparison to the smaller person, obviously female based off the curves of the figure, and a much bigger person.

"Oh shut up, Orochimaru was always more interested in screwing little boys than anything else." The woman said defensively.

"Yeah, but you beat him to Sasuke." The smaller man muttered with a snicker. He was silenced by a swift kick to the face. Hinari leaned against a tree, listening. They had at one point been Orochimaru's subjects, they still carried a bit of his scent, but it was faint.

'Where'd the big guy go?' Hinari thought when the presence of the larger man disappeared. It was odd, how'd that happen? He was huge, not to mention his chakra signature tended to spike randomly, making it difficult to fully suppress. She turned her head sharply when the direction of the wind changed, alerting her to the large man's presence. Hinari ducked and rolled as a huge arm crashed into the tree where her head had been. "Shit!" Hinari ended up revealing herself to the other two. The large man jumped out of the brush, his arm morphing strangely into a sharp axe. Hinari dodged the wild swing, only to get clubbed by his other arm. She hit a nearby tree, momentarily knocking her senses about. By the time she'd regained them, the man had charged at her again. Hinari looked up to see the man's arm morph once more into something that looked like a gun.

"Juugo!" The smaller man jumped onto Juugo's back in an attempt to hold him down, his arms growing grotesquely with muscle to hold Juugo back.

"Juugo, calm down, she's from Konoha!" The woman stepped in; her bright red hair seemed to bristle at the two men in annoyance.

"KILL!" Juugo roared, throwing the smaller man off and shoving the woman aside, coming at Hinari. Hinari slipped into her Jyuuken stance, legs wide, giving her a lower center of gravity. Juugo stumbled forward, giving Hinari the chance she needed, she came in low, and struck a precise point, just above his heart, knocking him out, instantly halting his wild charge. Hinari came out of her stance and glared at the two others.

"What is your business here?" She demanded sharply, glaring in an attempt to intimidate them.

"We're just here to see Sasuke." The man said defensively.

"You are aware that Orochimaru is marching against Konoha right?" She asked them.

"Of course we are, we want to help, with Human Juggernaut here, there shouldn't be too much difficulty." The woman said, kicking Juugo. Hinari's eyes narrowed in mistrust.

'I know them, but from where? Help me out here Kyuubi.' To her aggravation, Kyuubi remained silent. Hinari thought about it longer, a brief memory of her and Takuro standing in the snow came to her, then it clicked.

"You guys are Karin-san, Suigetsu-san, and Juugo-san?" She asked them.

"Yeah, who're you?" Karin looked over the rim of her glasses at Hinari.

"Uzumaki Hinari, you met me when I was a genin, I was with Takuro." The two paused to think.

"I think I remember you, you're Naruto's kid right?" Suigetsu asked her.

"His youngest daughter, yes I am." Hinari stepped forward and grabbed one of Juugo's arms. "Give me a hand here; he's a bit too big for me to carry by myself." She said. Suigetsu stepped forward and picked up Juugo's other arm. With Karin watching their backs, they made the rest of the trip to Konoha's gates a quick one.

XxXxXxX

Sasuke stared at Karin and Suigetsu in surprise. He hadn't expected them to show up. Hinari dumped Juugo's still unconscious form on the floor and left, giving Sasuke a quick nod.

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked them.

"We're here to help you Sasuke-kun." Karin told him.

"Oh? And what could a man on steroids, a woman with a fetish for emo, and revenge driven men, and a human juggernaut do for Konoha?" Sasuke asked. Suigetsu snickered at Sasuke's comment on Karin's taste in men. She elbowed him roughly in the ribs.

"Oh come on, there must be something we can do to help." She said. Sasuke snorted.

"Doubt it. Hinari's been providing us with plenty of help, we don't need much more." Sasuke said. The door to his office opened and Sasuke entered, stepping over Juugo and shoving past Karin. Karin bristled at Sakura, but was met with Sakura's finger curled, ready to flick the woman through the wall. Suigetsu whistled.

"Cat fight!" He cried. Sakura redirected her attack, and sent Suigetsu through the wall.

"Sakura, I just had the wall repaired from the last person you threw through it!" Sasuke cried in exasperation. Sakura poked her husband on the forehead in response.

"Stop being such a baby Sasuke, we have bigger things to worry about than your wall." She said dumping a large file on his desk and stalked out, slamming the door, making more of the wall collapse.

"Why'd I marry her?" He muttered.

"Because Sakura can put you back together if she breaks you, Karin can't." Suigetsu called through the whole in the wall as he struggled to stand up. Karin stepped on his chest.

"I can't believe I worked with these people." Sasuke grumbled as he flipped open the file Sakura had left for him.

XxXxXxX

Takuro was now watching Hinari pace back and forth, in a similar manner his father had been doing, but at least she wasn't buttering about rapist fangirls. Quite the contrary, she was muttering about crazed pedophiles with a snake fixation.

"Hinari?" He spoke cautiously, interrupting his father was one thing, but bothering Hinari while she was in such an agitated state was tip-toeing on the line between a calm and rational Hinari and a pissed off nonsensical Hinari.

"Yeah?" She was calm, which was a good sign, so Takuro decided to continue.

"What do we do if-if everything falls apart?" He asked her, choosing his words with as much care as possible. At this, Hinari stopped pacing.

"I-I never thought of it." She replied in a soft whisper. "I was so bent on getting as much of an advantage as possible that…that it might not work in the end." Hinari sank to the floor. Takuro rose from his chair and knelt down in front of her.

"Don't loose hope Hinari, not yet, not now, we'll get through this." He tried to give her a comforting smile, but it ended up being a grimace. Hinari nodded. His question had shaken her to her core; in all honesty, she wasn't so sure Konoha could make it out okay. Despite all her words, her promises, and everything else, she couldn't help but think that maybe things wouldn't end as well as she hoped it would. Takuro straightened to his full height and extended a hand to her. Hinari took it and stood up. She put on a brave face and took several breaths to calm herself.

'Will it really be okay? What should we do if something goes wrong?' These questions echoed through her mind.

XxXxXxX

Two days later, Hinari found herself in front of the temporary storage building. Every keg of gunpowder and a crate filled with muskets was stored here for the time being. Hinari nodded to the two ANBU standing on guard and they let her pass. She stepped into the building and quickly located the crate of muskets.

She pulled a scroll from her pouch and pulled it open. Nicking her thumb on a kunai, she quickly created a seal on the scroll. Slicing open the palms of her hands, she pressed her left palm to the seal on the scroll, and the other to the side of the crate. With a small burst of chakra, the crate disappeared in a puff of smoke and the seal glowed with her chakra, telling her that the sealing was successful. Hinari nodded at her handiwork and rolled the scroll back up. Her palms healed over quickly and she stowed the scroll away for safe keeping. She repeated the process with another smaller crate of ammunition and small packets of gunpowder. Content, she left the building, stopping to speak to the two ANBU.

"I've been ordered by the Hokage to place a seal on this building." She told them. The two glanced at each other for a moment. They moved away, to allow Hinari to do her work. One thing about the Uzumaki family, they were exceptional when it came to creating seals, a testament to that skill being her father and grandfather. Hinari cut her thumb again, and drew the seal onto the door. It was a relatively complex seal that required her to refresh the cut a few more times before she was done. Satisfied with the ten points, she took a breath and pressed both palms to the door. With a powerful explosion of chakra that slightly burned the wood, the door was sealed. Hinari gave a nod to the ANBU and walked away.

"What kind of seal was that?" One of them asked. The other shrugged.

"Who knows?" The other replied. They watched Hinari's retreating back.

XxXxXxX

Hinari knew the consequences of lying to the ANBU, but that seal was a necessary precaution. She had simply informed the Hokage that she might place a seal on the building as an extra precaution. He'd never actually told her to do it, so it was only a half lie. But still, she knew that the less people that knew about it, the better. And she was the only person that could undo it; it would react to her chakra alone. Hinari smiled at her accomplishment, if anything, it was one less thing for her to worry about should Konoha fall.

Hinari glanced about her, there seemed to be no one about, the villagers choosing to stay inside there homes rather than go about their normal daily lives. She turned her attention towards the Monument to see that preparations for the shelters had begun, a good sign in case of a prolonged siege.

"Shishou!" All three of her students ran up to her. She wasn't too surprised that they were fully armed. All shinobi were going about this way, including the genin, even if they too were forced to evacuate, no matter how skilled they were.

"What is it?" She asked them.

"Um, we were wondering, do we follow your orders when the time comes?" Hyourinmaru asked.

"Yes, but in the case that you cannot get to me, whoever is nearest that is your superior officer will give you the orders and you will follow them, no questions asked." Hinari told them. "Understood?"

"Yes Shishou!" The three echoed. Hinari smiled softly. Of every job she'd taken and had her students involved in it, she'd feared for their safety the same way an older sister would, but she knew that they were no longer little kids. They'd all experienced the difficulty of their first kill, they were strong, and they could handle it. She'd told herself this over and over, and yet that fear was never fully dispelled. She knew that one of them, or all them just might not come out of this alive, and it made her want to cry. She bit her lip.

"Come here you three." She spread her arms out and they approached her. She enveloped all three of them in a tight embrace. Not even Hyourinmaru complained. "Promise me, you'll be alright." She whispered.

"We promise."

"Tell me you'll watch each other's backs."

"We will." Hinair felt tears flow down her cheeks and land on Hyourinmaru's shoulder.

"Swear to me that you'll do all you can to live."

"We swear." Hinari slowly and hesitantly released them. They'd had been family to her. Hyourinmaru and Yukina, the orphans she'd sworn to take care of so that they did not face the same fate as the rest of their family. And Natsuhime, whom she'd saved from a possibly horrible future. They had traveled together, lived together, and fought together, like a true family.

"Shishou," Hyourinmaru spoke. He paused, feet shuffling with nervousness. "You were like a sister to us, and we're proud to call you our family." He said with a strong conviction in his voice. Hinari blinked more tears from her eyes, not remembering the last time she'd cried. She hugged them once more.

"Thank you." Hinari let go of them and hastily wiped her tears away. She ruffled Hyourinmaru's hair playfully and grinned. "Thank you, all of you." She repeated, unsure of what to do or say now. In the end, she settled for giving them one final embrace before running off before she started to cry again.

XxXxXxX

Hinari and Takuro stood talking, both seemingly relaxed, but really they had all their senses strained for the first sign of an attack. The week was coming to a close and that meant that the attack would be coming any day now. An ANBU squad jumped from one roof to another making the two automatically reach for their weapons. Once they realized that nothing was happening, they relaxed their stances a bit, but their muscles were ready slip into their accustomed stances should anything happen.

"Takuro, I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm scared." Hinari said. "I'm dead scared of what's going to happen, I thought that I was prepared, but I'm not. I've never been involved in war before, only battle, there's a difference, and that difference scares me." She admitted.

"I know, I'm scared too." Takuro said, placing his hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. He dropped his hand, only to reach for a kunai when a huge blast sounded just outside the gates of the village.

"He's here." These were the first words Hinari spoke as the explosion rocked the village. She looked up to see a great snake tearing through the walls that surrounded the village. "The Snake has come." Takuro, who stood beside her, stared as well.

"We're under attack!" He called as loudly as possible. "All civilians, head for the shelters!" He called to any non-ninja in the street. It didn't take long for the street to clear of civilians.

"Shishou!" Hinari's three students landed behind them. "Orders?" Hyourinmaru asked. Hinari seemed completely stunned, unable to move or speak. Takuro watched her for a moment, once he realized that she wasn't in any shape to be issuing orders, spoke for her.

"Konoha has a specific plan when it comes to an invasion. Your first orders, head farther into the village, more to the center. Go!" The three nodded. Natsuhime glanced at Hinari before following the other two. Hinari was paralyzed where she stood.

"I couldn't do anything." Takuro looked at Hinari again when she spoke. "I knew it was coming, and yet I just stood by and let them come." She muttered. Takuro realized that Hinari wasn't in any shape to fight in general, and it scared him Takuro grabbed Hinari's hand and raced through the village, following Hinari's students.

XxXxXxX

Oto-nin and Iwa-nin poured through the breach in the wall, a few ANBU squads were waiting, and had already cut down the first wave of foreign shinobi, but the huge snake stopped them as it crashed through and snapped at them in an attempt to eat them. The ANBU scattered and were cut down themselves. More and more invaders entered the village, and cleared the path for the rest. Those that made it passed the first ANBU squads were met with the elite shinobi of Konoha. Five were crushed under a chunk of wall Sakura had lifted and thrown at them. She knew she wasn't supposed to be there, she was a medic, and medics stay on the sidelines. But she sure as hell wasn't going to do that. She never did like staying on the sidelines after all.

XxXxXxX

"Neji! Tenten! Let us show them what the strength of our youth can do!" Lee cried enthusiastically, Neji shook his head.

"We're not as young as we used to be Lee." He said.

"But we can wish." Tenten told him, drawing her favorite scroll strapped to her waist. Lee charged on ahead and struck down ten Iwa-nin in a few seconds. The effects of age may have been finally catching up to the man, but he wasn't about to let is slow him down. Neji delivered several death blows in that same amount of time; while Tenten's exceptional weapon skill took out just as many. Neji was the only Hyuuga to leave the compound so far, most stayed behind to defend it, even after all these years, too many of the older ones were too stuck up to fight with the village. Neji ducked under a thrown kunai and took out the thrower.

XxXxXxX

"Sasuke let him loose!" Suigetsu called as he cut through five Oto-nin with one swing of his sword. Sasuke released Juugo, and the man charged forward, fueled by his insatiable bloodlust. Karin moved like an acrobat, kicking at the Oto-nin, beating them back to Sasuke and Suigetsu's waiting blades.

"Suigetsu, behind you!" Karin called in warning; Suigetsu spun and took down a pair of Oto-nin who had the bright idea of trying to sneak up on him.

XxXxXxX

Takuro had a strong feeling of unease in his stomach. Something didn't feel right, he had yet to see an Oto-nin or Iwa-nin penetrate further into the village. He looked about, and saw that the villagers were still making there way up to the Monument where the shelters were. But something wasn't right, something was in the way. That's when he saw what it was.

The Oto-nin that had survived to get past the ANBU and the elite were herding the civilians back down the Monument.

"Oh shit!" He ran towards the Monument. Hinari had broken out of her stupor at last and was horrified. She knew in that moment that Konoha had fallen already, and the battle had just started. There was just no way that it could already by over for them.

"Takuro!" She screamed at him. Takuro halted and turned to her.

"What?"

"Don't go." She pleaded.

"I have to, it's my fucking job!" He retorted.

"No, the village has already fallen; we have to get out of here." Hinari said.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Then who the fuck is going to save the village if we're all captured?!" She demanded loudly. "If even just two of us get out, that's enough, it's enough to get help and come back to retake the village." Hinari told him. Takuro scowled, despite the cowardice of it, she was right. If at least one or maybe even two people made it out, there was a possibility of them triumphing if they played there cards right. He nodded. Hinari gave him a small smile of thanks and turned around, running towards one of the smaller gates in the village.

XxXxXxX

Konohamaru stood with a mask of calm over his face; he'd been captured, and made a hostage. Every Konoha-nin had ceased fighting for fear of their Hokage being killed. They'd willingly thrown down their weapons and surrendered. It was truly a sad day for Konoha. Every campaign they'd been involved in, they'd won, but now, they had failed. Every citizen of the village was rounded up and separated by gender, but they were all haphazardly thrown into the shelters, which, thanks to the Iwa-nin were quickly converted into cells to hold them in. Only the clan heads, the village elders, and Konohamaru himself were kept separated from the rest.

Sakura tried to fight her way to her husband, but was quickly subdued, and Sasuke asked her not to do anything stupid, for the sake of their children. This earned a crazed laugh from Orochimaru. Hyourinmaru refused to be separated from Yukina and Natsuhime, but in the end, they were.

Everyone was locked up and Orochimaru was happy, things had gone a lot better than he had expected. But, unfortunately, a few shinobi were not accounted for, but he wasn't too concerned about it. All that mattered was that he'd succeeded. He was even willing to allow himself the pleasure of gloating in Konohamaru's face.

"Well, well, well, Sarutobi Konohamaru, not as great as you seem are you boy? You grandfather could have done better." Orochimaru said snidely.

"I am aware, that I could never match up to the greatness my grandfather achieved. I would be a fool to try it." Konohamaru spoke, his voice calm and even. Orochimaru ground his teeth.

'I never did like the way they spoke like they knew all that there is to know.' He thought as he turned back to watch the chaos of the members of Konoha being rounded up and taken into what would have been their shelters. Orochimaru grinned maniacally. 'You have failed Fox. Konoha is mine, while you hide away, thinking yo could return to defeat me. What a fool you are.'

XxXxXxX

Takuro and Hinari ran through the forest, knowing that there was a possibility of being followed; they kept on moving, not even as exhaustion began to take over them.

"I can't believe we've just abandoned them." Takuro whispered.

"No, we haven't. I have a plan, if we're careful, it might just work." Hinari told him. "Ever since you asked me about what I would do should Konoha fall, I've been taking extra precautions." She said.

"Would you like to share?" He asked her scathingly.

"Not yet, but first, we must get to Suna." She said. Takuro nodded and they kept on moving, not noticing the three presences behind them.

**Whew, that's done with, this might be my final chapter before school starts, so don't expect them to come as often as they have. If you have any questions, I will answer them all, as long as they don't reveal too much of what's to come. So, how many of you saw this coming? Did you think Konoha would get out of it okay? Review and tell me your opinions/theories and so on!**

_Hinari stood at the gates, waiting. After about two hours, seven figures appeared on the horizon. Yasha stood next to her, having spotted the figures as well._

_"Don't raise the wall, I've been expecting them." She said. The sound of footsteps drew Yasha's attention and a jounin stood there,_

_"They're here already Shadowfox?" The jounin asked._

_"That's right," Hinari smiled; glad that she'd thought of this in advance. In another hour, those seven figures solidified into four women and three men, each and every one wearing the forehead protector of a different village. Yasha came on the offense when he saw the symbol of Oto and Iwa. "Don't." Hinari stopped him. "They're with me."_

_"You can trust them?" Yasha asked._

_"Yes, I'm paying them more than their leaders are; their loyalty lies with the one with the biggest wallet." Hinari told him. Yasha scowled and looked over at the jounin standing behind them. _

_"Why are you here?" Yasha asked._

_"I'm with them." The jounin replied, pointing at the approaching shinobi. Yasha frowned but said nothing more._

_"Shadowfox, we feared you had not escaped." A woman from Amegakure said with a small smile._

_"Come on, they don't call me Shadowfox for nothing Amaya." Hinari replied. The others laughed. "Now, for the first order of business, as you are all working for me indefinitely, remove your forehead protectors, you are no longer aligned to any one village. You fight to bring down the Snake and those in his nest." Hinari said. One by one, they all removed their forehead protectors and stowed them away._

_"So, how do we plan on taking out the Snake?" Asked a boy from Kusa. He couldn't be any older than seventeen, but it was easy to see that he was strong._

_"Follow me; we are to meet with some who escaped the invasion as well as the Kazekage." Hinari told them. The group followed her, while the villagers stared warily at those they did not recognize. Hinair smiled, in a odd sort of way, she was glad that Orochimaru had succeeded, because now, she could prove to him what she was truly made of, and that she was not to be messed with. 'The Snake can have his petty victory, for the Fox is a trickster, he won't know what hit him until he's lying on the ground, his head in my hands.' She thought with a sadistic grin. Deep inside, she felt Kyuubi shift from the sudden rise of bloodlust from his host._


	10. Chapter 10: Beginning Preparations

Shadowfox

Chapter 10

Sakura Hanamoto

Hinari and Takuro didn't stop moving, jumping from one tree to another, they're feet barely touching the branches before pushing off again. At a normal ninja's pace, the journey to Suna was three days long, but with the pace Hinari was setting, they'd be there in half that time.

'I feel like I've betrayed Konoha by leaving.' Takuro thought as he looked back along the path they'd come. He shook those thoughts from his head. 'No, I can't think like that, I'm doing this to save the village.' Takuro thought of his family, the five people who mattered so much to him. 'Don't worry Mom and Dad; I'll do everything within my power to free you. Satoko, be careful, and stay out of trouble too you blockheads.' The last thought was directed towards his two younger brothers. Slightly ahead of him, Hinari had halted. He stopped beside her.

"We're being followed," she said.

"By who?" Hinari sniffed the air.

"Maina, Haruka and her partner." Hinari replied.

"Should we wait for them to catch up?" Takuro asked.

"No, Maina can track our scents easily, they'll eventually catch up." Hinari said. With that, she bent her legs slightly and took off again for the next stable tree branch, Takuro just behind her.

XxXxXxX

"Do you think Hideki-sama will be safe?" Haruka asked Mamoru.

"Knowing him he's going to try to get them to release him by admitting to being the Daimyo's son." Mamoru told her with a shake of his head.

"He'd only get himself killed." Haruka muttered. "He's so useless."

"Hey, are you sure we're following Hinari and Takuro?" Mamoru asked Maina curiously.

"Yeah, a person's unique scent is the probably one of the few things that can't be mimicked by an illusion of any kind. Especially Hinari-san's." Maina told him.

"Why's that?"

"Hinari's scent is mixed with a powerful chakra that could be recognized by me anywhere."

"If you say so." Haruka said.

"I know so." The group of three pressed on, following Hinari and Takuro's route towards Suna.

XxXxXxX

Night had fallen, but they continued on, stopping only long enough to regain their breath. Hinari stared out into the dark forest, unmoving. Takuro said nothing, afraid of breaking the silence that had fallen between them. After a few more minutes Hinari turned to him.

"Let's get going." She said. Takuro nodded and stood up from the tree branch he'd been sitting on. The pair took off again. Hinari moved through the trees without making a sound, the epitome of stealth. The leaves barely even stirred with her passing. In comparison, Takuro made a little more noise, but to even the most trained ninja, his movements were perfectly silent. Only Hinari could move with such a ghost like grace that it was as if she had never existed at all. Leaving not a single sign of her passing through nature.

"Hinari, do you have a plan?" Takuro asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Not a complete one. I had a feeling that if things should go wrong I'd head straight for Suna, and figure things out from there." She admitted to him. "At the moment, I haven't got much to work with so there's not much a plan to go by yet."

"So, I take it that once we arrive in Suna, we'll inform the Kazekage of what has happened, and then you'll lay out your plans?" Hinari nodded.

"Bingo."

"How much blood will this plan involve do you think?" Takuro asked a bit nervously. Hinari grinned widely; her eyes seemed to momentarily change, the pupil contracting to a slit for a mere second.

"Lots of it. Lots and lots of blood." Takuro shivered silently at her slightly blood thirsty tone.

'I get the feeling that this is going to end with more casualties than really necessary.'

XxXxXxX

A small group of guards paced up and down the corridors looking through the bars of captive Konoha shinobi. Once everyone was imprisoned the task of reorganizing everyone had begun. Every Konoha ninja with an awakened kekkei genkai were thrown into one area, men on one side, and women on the other. After that, all other shinobi were sorted by rank, again one side held the men, the women were on the other side. The Academy students were also sorted in there. Below them were the civilians separated by men and women. Above the shinobi with kekkei genkai were the clan heads, village elders, and the Hokage.

The group walked down the corridor of the cells holding every member of the Hyuuga clan, with the exception of those that were Hyuuga by marriage only, the Uchiha children, and the Takeda siblings.

"So, which one should we take?" One guard asked as he leered at the women. They drew back away from them. One stopped in front of a cell. His eyes going over the women in the cell. There were several Hyuuga women, plus a woman with pink hair tied into a ponytail and a girl with white hair.

"Take the girl." One said pointing at Yukina. The girl shrank further into the corner she was crouched into. A guard opened the door and entered. He stepped towards Yukina, only to be met by Satoko.

"Don't touch her." She growled out.

"Out of my way bitch." The guard back-handed her and grabbed Yukina by the front of her shirt. "You're coming with us." He said grinning lecherously. Yukina bit her lip in fright. She was dragged out of the cell and further down the corridor. Yukina screamed at him to release her. On the other side, Hyourinmaru had run to the front of his cell and was screaming obscenities and threats at the guards.

"Leave her alone! Don't you dare lay a single finger on her or I'll fucking castrate you! You son of a bitch! Let her go!" He screamed.

"Onii-chan!" Yukina reached for her brother, but she received a kick to the stomach. She cried out.

"Yukina! No!" Hyourinmaru attempted to squeeze through the bars but he didn't fit. Yukina was dragged into an empty room where she was thrown to the ground. She quickly ran over the short lesson she'd been given by Hinari about a situation like this. Her mind wandered back to that day when she was eleven.

XxXxXxX

_It was just the girls this night. Hyourinmaru had been graced with his first solo mission to give Hinari the time to talk to the girls._

_"Now, today will be a very important lesson for you both." Hinari began. "I want you to listen very carefully." Both girls nodded. "I've already spoken to both of you about the whole sex business correct?" They nodded again. "Good, because today, this subject will have something to do with it." Hinari honestly was having a little trouble getting this started because it was something she had never experienced and never wanted to. "To start with, when two people have sex, it's usually with each others consent. But when it isn't, say, if the man wants it but the woman says 'no', then its rape._

_"Men rape women for different reasons, but mostly it's out of violence against women. Some men just seem to like it, I think those men should be skinned and burned alive. If you are to ever end up in this situation and have no way of escaping, there are a few things I want you to remember. It _will_ hurt, no matter what. You remember that little place in your mind that I taught you to create if you're ever tortured?" The girls nodded again. "In order to get past the pain, you are to retreat to that place should this ever happen. Also, if you are unable to retreat to that place, remain silent during the whole thing. The type of men that do this will prefer it if you make any kind of noise, so don't make any noise._

_"Shishou, what if we can't keep ourselves from making noise?" Natsuhime asked._

_"Those men like it if you make noise, so just try not to." Hinari couldn't think of much else to say. "I don't really know what else to tell you two, but please try not to let it happen."_

_"We will." The girls chorused._

XxXxXxX

Yukina slowly retreated into her mind as her clothes were violently ripped from her body. She remained silent as many hands ran over her body, her eyes closed tightly from having to see the faces of the men who were doing this. Her legs were pulled apart and her eyes snapped open as she was penetrated. Yukina could not keep her silence. She screamed.

XxXxXxX

Maina's small group had finally caught up to Hinari and Takuro as the sun was beginning to rise. Maina pulled up beside Hinari, her ears flat against her head.

"Good to know I've got a few more people to work with." Hinari murmured as Haruka and Mamoru fell into step beside Takuro. They had left the safety of the forests sometime in the night and were nearing the edge of the dessert, marking the line where one country ended and Wind began.

"Why are we going to Suna?" Mamoru asked.

"Idiot, Konoha and Suna are allies; so naturally, we're going to them for help." Haruka scolded her partner for his lapse in intelligence.

"Will they really help us?"

"Yes." Hinari told him, never taking her eyes off the billowing sand dunes ahead.

XxXxXxX

Yukina was thrown back into the cell she was sharing with several other women. She was barely hanging onto consciousness, and she hurt all over. A pair of strong arms enveloped her.

"Don't worry; I won't let them do that to you again." Satoko did her best to comfort the child. Yukina cried silently, tears spilling down her cheeks. She was still bleeding, and the guards hadn't bothered to return her clothes to her. She lay helpless in Satoko's arm, shivering from the cold and the mental trauma of it.

"Here, wrap this around her." A Hyuuga woman who had been wearing a cloak knelt beside Yukina and Satoko, the cloak bundled in her arms. Satoko took it and wrapped Yukina in it. Yukina whimpered slightly.

"It hurts." She whispered. Although she had been trained to ignore her pain, this was something foreign to her. It wasn't the same as being cut, or stabbed.

"Shhh, I know, I know it hurts." Satoko rocked back and forth on her knees, gently stroking Yukina's dirty white hair. Yukina slowly fell into a fitful sleep. Satoko placed her on the ground and ran a simple diagnostic of the girl.

"Will she be okay?" The woman who had offered her cloak asked.

"I don't know, it all depends on how she takes this in afterward." Satoko said. Satoko's fists clenched with the urge to crush something. 'I swear, if I ever get the change, I'm gonna tear them limb from limb.' She thought.

Down the hall, Hyourinmaru was having similar thoughts. 'Those bastards, I'm gonna make them wish they'd never been born!' He had watched horrified as his sister was dragged back to her cell, her body bruised and beaten, blood flowing down her legs. Even though it was wrong to look, he hadn't been able to tear his eyes away from the pure anguish on his little sister's face. 'I'm gonna make them pay and beg for mercy when I'm through.'

XxXxXxX

Uchiha Sasuke sat in his own personal cell. The cells beside his were occupied by Hyuuga Hanabi and Nara Shikamaru. He was slouched against the wall, staring at his feet. He heard footsteps approaching but did not look up. The footsteps stopped in front of his cell, and he heard a soft chuckle.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the great Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke looked up slowly to see Orochimaru and Kabuto standing before him. Rage instantly reared its ugly head within him. He rose slowly, not really putting any effort into his movement. "My, time has certainly had his way with you." Orochimaru remarked, noting the gray hairs that were already sprouting in Sasuke's black hair.

"At least I'm still human." Sasuke retorted, his voice devoid of any real malice in it. He just didn't seem to have any energy left within him.

"Hmmm, it didn't have to be that way."

"Yes it did. I was a stupid little kid, thinking it was all a game. If it hadn't been for Naruto-,"

"If it hadn't been for that Yondaime clone, you could have had so much more power." Orochimaru interrupted.

"No, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be the man I am today." Sasuke told him. "He," Sasuke paused to find the right word. "Naruto saved me from the darkness. He was like a brother to me."

"Oh? Even more of a brother than Itachi?"

"Do not speak that name." Sasuke hissed. Even now, the subject of his dead brother was still a touchy one.

"You were always weak Sasuke, held down by your bonds with others. Your friendship with Naruto held you back as a genin; your brother overshadowed you as a child. Why throw away the true greatness you could have achieved by joining me?"

"Because you were just a part of my plan. I thought that if I could kill you, I could kill Itachi. I was wrong." Sasuke sank to the floor again.

"Even now, your 'family' holds you back. That whore of a wife, your children, two of which you still coddle." Orochimaru wondered if this could get a better reaction of the Uchiha.

"Do not speak of my family that way." Sasuke growled. He had worked hard to bring the Uchiha family to the fame it had now, he wouldn't let anyone get away with slandering it. "Do not speak of Sakura like that, and don't you dare bring my children into it." Sasuke rose to his feet again, his anger towards Orochimaru feeding his strength.

"Hmph, would you still be saying that still if I did this?" Orochimaru snapped his fingers and four guards appeared, two guards for each boy. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, seeing the threat clearly.

"Let them go!" Sasuke charged at the bars of his cell, he thrust his arm through and attempted to grab Orochimaru by the collar of his shirt, but the man stepped out of the way.

"Dad!" Renpachi cried, kicking his legs slightly in a poor attempt at freeing himself. A guard brought a knife up to his throat. Renpachi froze instantly.

"No! Don't hurt them. Please!" Sasuke fell to his knees, his legs suddenly too weak to support his weight. "Please." He repeated desperately.

"Look at you, reduced to groveling like this. You truly are weak Uchiha Sasuke, perhaps I was wrong; you would have made a terrible host." Orochimaru turned walked away. Kabuto following like a loyal pup. The guards lingered.

"Please, let me just hold them." Sasuke looked up. One guard seemed slightly sympathetic towards the man. Slowly, he released Raisuke's arm and the other three followed suit, somewhat hesitantly. Renpachi and Raisuke dove at their father and hugged him through the bars of his cage.

"Dad!" Both boys sobbed in Sasuke's arms. Slowly, they let go.

"Listen to me, please, please do not do anything to get you two hurt." Sasuke said. Both boys nodded. "Promise me!"

"We promise Dad." Sasuke hugged them one more time before they were taken away. Sasuke retreated to the back of his cell and sighed.

"You know, I honestly didn't think you'd be such a good father." Shikamaru commented.

"Nor did I ever think you could be a responsible adult." Sasuke replied. Shikamaru snorted.

"Asuma-sensei taught me that. One of the few lessons I actually took to heart." Shikamaru muttered.

XxXxXxX

The group of four jounin and one chuunin made their way across the billowing deserts of Suna. Hinari leading, everyone else behind her, gripping each other's hands tightly. A sand storm had kicked in, but they kept going, relying on Hinari's eyes to lead them to their destination. Maina brought up the rear, her ears flattened completely to prevent sand from getting into them. They also had their eyes closed since they couldn't have been able to see either way.

Traveling slowly for another five hours, the storm eventually died down and they could see once more. Hinari's eyes had led them straight and true towards Suna's cliff-like gates. As they approached, a great wall of sand rose up and blocked their path. Hinari scowled in annoyance at the appearance of the wall. With a sigh, she cleared her throat.

"YASHA! QUIT MESSING AROUND AND LET US IN YOU IDIOT!" She screamed. A dusting of bright red appeared at the top of the wall.

"OH, HINARI! BACK ALREADY?" The wall melted back into the desert and Yasha jogged up to them.

"I must speak to your father immediately." She snapped.

"Father's in a meeting with the village counsel right now."

"Well, those old farts can wait, Konoha's future is more important." Yasha blinked and turned. He gestured for them to follow, and he led them through the gates into the village. Several villagers paused to stare at the group of Konoha shinobi following the Kazekage's son.

"What the hell is the big deal with these idiots? They act like they haven't seen Konoha ninja before." Mamoru muttered.

"Word has already spread; they know what happened to Konoha." Hinari told him. "They weren't expecting people to have escaped and show up."

"That makes sense, but, do you think Gaara-sama will be willing to help us out?" Haruka asked.

"I'm not certain, but I have a feeling that he will help."

The group came to the Kazekage's office and Yasha let them in. A couple chairs were pushed up against the wall and Maina and Haruka quickly commandeered one each.

XxXxXxX

When Gaara eventually arrived from his meeting, he was already in a bad mood, having glared at a hapless chuunin on the way, he felt a little better. Upon opening the door to his office, he was met with the sight of five exhausted ninja from Konoha, and his son.

"Father, Hinari says that she has to speak with you." Yasha reported to him. Gaara nodded and sat at his desk. Hinari rose from her spot from the floor and stood at attention.

"Gaara-sama, Konoha has fallen into the hands of Orochimaru." She said all business.

"So I've heard." He murmured. "Is there anything you want?"

"Yes, I'm formally requesting aid to free Konoha from Orochimaru, please sir." She told him. Gaara paused to think for a moment.

"I will gladly help you Hinari. However, I must know, just how much help do you need?" He asked.

"That is still undetermined sir, but thank you." Hinari bowed to him.

"For the duration of your stay, I will have rooms prepared for all of you." Gaara told them. "Yasha, find someone to help them with that."

"Yes Father," Yasha stepped out of the office to do as he was ordered. No one spoke while they waited for Yasha to return.

When he eventually did, he beckoned the five to follow him. They did so without complaint. They came to the hotel they would be staying at, paid for by the Kazekage himself. They all had rooms on the same floor, and Yasha left them to do as they pleased.

XxXxXxX

Takuro wandered through the darkened village searching for Hinari. She had disappeared hours ago and it made him worried. He came to a bar and stuck his head through the door. He swept his eyes across the room in search of the woman. His eyes came to rest upon a tall woman sitting at the bar, nursing a large bottle of sake. He entered and ignored the unenthusiastic welcome from the bartender.

"Hinari?" He cautiously rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Piss off," She told him, shaking his hand off and taking a long drink from the bottle. Upon realizing that Takuro had not moved, she turned around to glare at him. "What the fuck do you want?" She asked him.

"I just came looking for you, that's all." He told her.

"I don't need your help." She turned back to bar and leaned against it, still gripping the neck of the bottle tightly. She drank some more. Takuro sat down on the stool beside her and began the slow process of prying the bottle from her hands. She eventually let go of it. Takuro dumped some money on the counter and lead Hinari off. She leaned heavily against him, her legs too weak to properly support her weight. As they walked, Hinari began to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Takuro asked curiously.

"You, you're always around when I don't need you to be." She said, stepping away from him. "Don't you have anything better to do? You say you'll always be there, but what if I don't want you to? What then? You are such a cheesy son of a bitch." Takuro did not answer. Clouds darkened the sky further and with a rumble of thunder, it began to rain. He looked up at the sky, surprised it would waste the water on the desert. Hinari began to laugh again. She spun about in a circle, her mouth wide opening to catch the falling rain.

"Hinari, come over here." Takuro retreated beneath a shop's awning. Hinari made no move to come; she continued to twirl about like a silly little girl.

"Come on Takuro, its fun! The rain is warm!" She laughed as she jumped into a puddle of sand-turned-mud. Takuro heaved a sigh. Overall, Hinari was behaving like a child. Or perhaps this was her drunken behavior. People were always different types of drunk, from what he could remember of the few times his parents had been drunk, his mother became reckless and gambled, while his father would sit and stew until he sobered up, then he would at least respond.

"Taku-chan is sooo boring!" Hinari stuck her tongue out at him. He blinked.

'Did she just call me 'Taku-chan'?' He asked himself. Hinari came up to him and grabbed him by the elbows.

"Come dance with me Taku-chan!" She dragged him out into the rain and swung him around haphazardly. After a while, they both grew dizzy and Hinari let go of him. They both tumbled into the mud. Hinari continued to laugh until she was gasping for breath. It seemed that all that dancing around and rain had sobered her up a bit. She rolled across the muck towards him and curled up by his side and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hinari?"

"I'm sorry Takuro, but I-," She wasn't sure of what she wanted to say. "I-I guess I'm not as great as some people think. I really don't know what I'm supposed to do. I want to save them, all of them, but I don't know how." She began to cry against his chest, her shoulders shaking as she sniffed. Takuro embraced her tightly.

"I know Hinari, I understand." He whispered into her ear.

XxXxXxX

Takuro groaned, Hinari had neglected to bring the key to her room, so now he couldn't get into it and put her to bed. She had fallen asleep in his arms and showed no signs of waking up. Finally, he gave up and walked a little further down the hall his own room. Resting Hinari against the wall he unlocked the door and pushed it wide open. He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed and put her down carefully. He removed her sandals and jacket and pulled her hair out of the braid so that it would dry a bit. He tucked her in and plopped into the lounge chair on the other side of the room and proceeded to fall asleep.

XxXxXxX

Takuro awoke in the middle of the night to hear Hinari tossing and turning. He listened for a moment and heard her murmur something softly.

"No…hurt…" He could only make out every other word clearly. "Takuro-kun…" After watching her flail around in the blankets a bit more, Takuro stood up and walked to the bed. He pulled the blankets away from her and hugged her tightly. She calmed and her frightened whimpering ceased. Hinari gripped his shirt tightly and breathed deeply. Even in her sleep, she knew his scent.

Takuro recalled the time when she had lost her memory and could not sleep because her memories would return in the form of dreams. He'd always ended sleeping next to her because she wouldn't let go of him. He knew that this time would be no different. He crawled into the bed beside her and pulled the blankets back up, and together they slept peacefully.

XxXxXxX

The next morning, they went to a nearby restaurant for breakfast. In a sad attempt at blending in, they'd removed their forehead protectors, but stood out anyway because of Maina. They ordered their food and sat in silence to wait.

Their breakfast arrived and they all were digging in happily when a chuunin approached the table. He stood stiffly; sweat beading on his forehead from nerves.

"Are any of you Uzumaki Hinari?" He asked slowly. Hinari raised her hand, both chopsticks sticking out of her mouth. "Kazekage-sama wishes to speak with you." He said. Hinari nodded and put her chopsticks down. She rose from her seat and followed the chuunin to the Kazekage's tower. She knocked on Gaara's door and he called for her to enter. She opened the door and closed it. She stood directly in front of the door, waiting for him to speak.

"I'm certain that you are wondering as to why I've called you here." Gaara stated, not looking up from the paperwork he was going through. Hinari nodded certain that he wouldn't see the movement. "All I wish to know is just how much danger my people will be put in?" He asked her.

"The civilians, none I expect, but your fellow shinobi will most definitely be faced by a life and death situation at some point." She replied.

"Very well, do you have any questions to ask me?" Hinari blinked, she indeed had one question to ask, but throughout this entire meeting his eyes had never left the paper in front of him.

"Yes, sir, I just want to know why you have agreed so readily to help me." She said to him. Gaara put his pen down and looked up at her.

"I owe Konoha a great deal Hinari. But mostly, I am still within your father's debt, even after all these years. I just want to return the favor by aiding the village he loves so much, and by offering my assistance to his child."

"What did my father do exactly?"

"Upon my first trip to Konoha as a genin, I had yet to be injured in battle, _ever_." Gaara told her, leaning back in his chair slightly. "I was there for the chuunin exam. It was during that exam that I met with many firsts.

"The first person to successfully land a blow was Rock Lee. I ended up temporarily crippling him. The first person to make me bleed was Uchiha Sasuke, I nearly crushed him. And, the very first person I lost a battle to was your father. He taught me that I did not have to fight for myself alone, that I could fight for those I cared about. He told me that true strength is not measured by how many people I have killed, but by how much I'm willing to do through to protect those closest to me. I realized that the ninja of Konoha were truly strong, fighting for their village, for their friends and family. That is strength that I did not really understand until I died."

"You died…?" Hinari was somewhat confused, for someone who had cheated death herself she wasn't sure how another could have done it.

"You've heard of the former organization of Akatsuki, correct?"

"Yes, I have."

"They were collecting the nine Bijuu to harness that power and use it to bring about the destruction of man kind. They successfully incapacitated me, took the Shukaku, and as a result, I died." Gaara paused to think back on those events. "If it wasn't for Naruto's team, and the team that consisted of your second cousin Neji, I would have remained dead. I was brought back to this world by a technique used by a retired council elder. With Naruto's assistance, I was brought back to life. For that, I am in his debt. Cooperating with you is just my way of repaying that debt, no matter how many years it has taken."

"Thank you for explaining sir, and I am honored to have your assistance." Hinari bowed to him. "Oh, within the next couple of days, several foreign ninja will be coming, so please don't be too alarmed, they'll be here to see me and I'll keep them in line." Gaara nodded and Hinari left.

XxXxXxX

Hinari stood at the gates, waiting. After about two hours, seven figures appeared on the horizon. Yasha stood next to her, having spotted the figures as well.

"Don't raise the wall, I've been expecting them." She said. The sound of footsteps drew Yasha's attention and a jounin stood there.

"They're here already Shadowfox?" The jounin asked.

"That's right," Hinari smiled; glad that she'd thought of this in advance. In another hour, those seven figures solidified into four women and three men, each and every one wearing the forehead protector of a different village. Yasha came on the offense when he saw the symbol of Oto and Iwa. "Don't." Hinari stopped him. "They're with me."

"You can trust them?" Yasha asked.

"Yes, I'm paying them more than their leaders are; their loyalty lies with the one with the biggest wallet." Hinari told him. Yasha scowled and looked over at the jounin standing behind them.

"Why are you here?" Yasha asked.

"I'm with them." The jounin replied, pointing at the approaching shinobi. Yasha frowned but said nothing more.

"Shadowfox, we feared you had not escaped." A woman from Amegakure said with a small smile.

"Come on, they don't call me Shadowfox for nothing Amaya." Hinari replied. The others laughed. "Now, for the first order of business, as you are all working for me indefinitely, remove your forehead protectors, you are no longer aligned to any one village. You fight to bring down the Snake and those in his nest." Hinari said. One by one, they all removed their forehead protectors and stowed them away.

"So, how do we plan on taking out the Snake?" Asked a boy from Kusa. He couldn't be any older than seventeen, but it was easy to see that he was strong.

"Follow me; we are to meet with some who escaped the invasion as well as the Kazekage." Hinari told them. The group followed her, while the villagers stared warily at those they did not recognize. Hinair smiled, in an odd sort of way, she was glad that Orochimaru had succeeded, because now, she could prove to him what she was truly made of, and that she was not to be messed with. 'The Snake can have his petty victory, for the Fox is a trickster, he won't know what hit him until he's lying on the ground, his head in my hands.' She thought with a sadistic grin. Deep inside, she felt Kyuubi shift from the sudden rise of bloodlust from his host.

The large group came to the tower and entered Gaara's office. Hinari wasn't too surprised to see him changed from the white and blue robes to a more battle ready outfit, a gourd filled with sand strapped to his back. He glowered at the newcomers, a silent warning to them all. Hinari's group from Konoha was also present, stripped of anything that suggested that they were from Konoha.

"I believe introductions are in order." Hinari said. Introductions went around the room, everyone refraining from giving a family name. Hinari was the only one who said nothing; everyone knew who she was to an extent.

"Shadowfox, if we are to be working with you, I demand to know your true name." One of the men said. Hinari thought about it.

"I suppose I could tell you, and I know that you'll just get pissed off if I don't, so what choice do I have? My name is Hinari." She said with a grin.

"I trust you will keep your friends in line Hinari?" Gaara asked.

"Of course, I promise you I will." She gave him a salute, and then turned to her group of informants. "Now, for the next bit of business, we'll be training." She said.

"What do you mean?" Amaya asked. Hinari grinned again.

"Don't worry, you'll see all in due time." She told the woman.

XxXxXxX

Hyourinmaru was huddled in his cell, sitting behind a Hyuuga man. Yukina had been dragged off again and he was sitting there in an attempt at keeping himself under control by making a miniature blizzard in the palm of his hand. He so desperately wanted to strangle the men that were hurting his younger sister. Natsuhime wasn't on this level because she had no kekkei genkai, and he knew for a fact that Hinari wasn't even in the village at this point.

"Shishou, come and save us, please." He whispered as the little bits of ice circling around in his hand melted away.

**Continue to next chapter for author's notes and preview.**


	11. Chapter 11: Ready to Go

Shadowfox

Chapter 11

Sakura Hanamoto

Yasha led the large group out to the training grounds in silence. Maina walked beside him taking everything in.

"You don't get out much do you?" He asked her as politely as he could.

"No, I was assigned to handing out missions after I became a chuunin, but I could be a jounin." She said. Yasha nodded in understanding. "Personally, I don't mind it, but it's nice to get outside every once in a while." She continued. "Especially when I didn't get that opportunity as a kid." She smiled a bit and her left ear twitched slightly.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but, how did you get your ears and tail?" He asked her. Maina laughed slightly.

"It's okay, I don't mind being asked. I was a genetic experiment my whole life until I was fourteen, the tail and ears are the more obvious results of it." She told him.

"How much further Yasha?" Hinari asked impatiently.

"Not too much further, don't worry." He replied. At last, they came to the training grounds. "Well, I'll leave you guys to it; better get back to gate duty." With that, Yasha disappeared in a swirl of sand. Hinari stepped forward to face everyone.

"Haruka, Mamoru, Maina, Takuro, you four will not have to do this, but I am going to need you for another part of my plan." Hinari told them. She glared at Mamoru who was flirting with one of the woman from Kumo. Haruka glared and elbowed him harshly in the ribs.

"What?" He asked her irritably. Haruka ignored him. Hinari reached for her hip pouch and drew two sealing scrolls. Opening them with a flourish, she summoned up two crates. They landed on the ground with a thump. Hinari pried them open with a kunai and tossed the lids aside. One by one she removed a musket and passed one to each of her informants.

"What the hell are these things?" The boy from Kusa asked.

"I'm getting to that Takeru. These are weapons from the other side of the world." Hinari began explaining. "They work like so." She picked up a small packet from the smaller crate and tore it open. She loaded a compartment with the small amount of gunpowder and loaded another with two small round metallic balls. Preparing the weapon, she aimed at one of the wooden posts in the area and pulled the trigger. The sound that accompanied the firing of the weapon caused everyone unfamiliar with the noise to jump in surprise. A hole was pierced into the post. Hinari's group of informants stared in awe.

"Wow." Takeru muttered.

"Now then, these are the weapons you will be using during the first stage of the operation. I am going to teach you how to load, unload, and clean them. After that, we'll work on accuracy on unmoving targets, then moving targets." Hinari said as she added a little more gunpowder. "Haruka, please tell your partner to stop flirting." Hinari snapped. Haruka grabbed Mamoru by the ear and put him in a headlock, never once saying a word to him.

XxXxXxX

It had been two days since the training started and it was working out quite well. "Takeru, did you once know a girl named Natsuhime?" Hinari asked the boy.

"Natsuhime? I don't know, maybe, why?"

"You're name rings a bell with me." Hinari replied. She reached for the musket and helped him reload.

"I've heard the name before. My father once spoke of a girl by that name, three years ago or so." He said.

"Okay, just curious." Hinari moved away from the boy to check on the others. So far, no one was having much difficulty hitting the targets dead center. She figured that they could move on to moving targets by the end of the week. 'I just hope the village can hold out until then.' She thought nervously.

XxXxXxX

Mamoru sat in Haruka's room, watching her as she polished her katana. She hadn't spoken a word since that morning and it was annoying him. Finally, he decided to break the silence.

"Is there something wrong Haruka?" He asked her. She glanced up, glared, and then went back to dragging the polishing stone along the blade. The sound unnerved him, as if she were sharpening her weapon for the express use of hurting him. "Come on Haruka, you know I'm bad at this sort of crap, what did I do?" He asked. Again she was silent. After another five more minutes of silence, Haruka abruptly dropped the stone and her sword fell to the floor with a clatter. Haruka still wasn't making a sound, but tears spilled down her cheeks. Mamoru jumped up and stepped towards her, being mindful of the sharp sword on the floor. "Hey, tell me what's wrong." He said quietly, placing his hand on her shoulders. She shook her head, but leaned against him.

"I don't know," she whispered.

"Don't know what?"

"I don't know why I get so mad when you talk to another woman." She murmured, he couldn't even hear her words. "Why do I get jealous? We're just partners, friends at most, and yet-,"

"And yet what?" Haruka pushed away from him.

"I don't know why I could possibly be in love with you!" She cried. After a moment of dead silence, she realized what she'd just said and slapped her hands to her mouth as if she could try and take it back.

"What?" Mamoru was shocked and surprised. Haruka's legs had gone weak and she sat down on the edge of the bed. "You love me?" She nodded.

"I don't know why, you're an idiot, a bit cynical, and you do nothing but flirt." She wiped the tears from her face. "Look at me, I'm reduced to a mass tears after one little thing." She tried to laugh, but her voice cracked instead.

"Haruka, look at me." She looked up at him. He wiped tears from the corner of her eyes and brushed her hair out of her face. "If I had known this, I never would have done anything to hurt you. I'm sorry." He hugged her awkwardly.

"What does it matter, I've broken the rules anyway." She said softly. "We're not supposed to become too emotionally attached, but I just couldn't help myself."

"I know, it's the same for me. That day when you were assigned as my partner, somehow I knew that it was going to be different."

XxXxXxX

_Haruka and Mamoru stood before each other. Haruka, the newest member to join the Guard, Mamoru would be her senior, having been around for three years longer. His last partner had been his senior, so now it was up to him to show her the ropes. She still wore her chuunin vest underneath a black leather jacket that nearly fell to her ankles. A katana strapped to her back, and her Konoha forehead protector partially hidden beneath her hair._

_There was no denying that she was pretty, but she had the look of a woman who could keep up with the guys rather than fall behind._

_"Omoriyama Haruka, this is Kinomoto Mamoru, he'll be your senior partner." Haruka glanced at the man sitting behind the desk, then back at the young man standing before her. He was at the most, three years older than her, with thick black curls of hair. His forehead protector was tied to his bicep._

_"It's nice to meet you Omoriyama." Mamoru said with a small smirk. "Hopefully you don't get yourself killed." He added. Haruka scowled at the comment._

_"It's nice to meet you too sempai." She muttered. The man behind the desk, currently the oldest member of the Guard, cleared his throat to get their attention._

_"Please do not injure each other just yet you two." He said as he handed Haruka her sash._

_"So, Omoriyama, I take it you can use that katana?" Mamoru asked._

_"I wouldn't carry it if I didn't." She responded as she tied the sash around her waist._

_"We'll see about that." Mamoru smirked. Haruka only seemed to take a step forward, but the next thing he knew, he was staring down the wrong end of her blade. He was afraid to breathe in case it should case the blade to sink into his neck. After a tense moment, Haruka stepped away and slid the blade back into the sheath in one fluid movement. 'I get the feeling that this partnership is going to be very interesting.' He thought._

XxXxXxX

"Of course things were going to be different Mamoru, you were the senior member, and I was just the newbie." Haruka muttered.

"Yeah, but there was something different about you as opposed to every other woman I've met. Working with you has made me happier than I ever have been. You're a good person Haruka, and if I were to die right now, I would have no regrets over ever knowing you." Mamoru hugged her tightly. "And I love you." He whispered into her ear. He pulled away from her and kissed her.

XxXxXxX

Hinari knocked on Takuro's door to wake him up. He came to the door half dressed, a shirt in his hand.

"What?" He asked.

"Get dressed and wake up Haruka and Mamoru." She said before heading off to Maina's room to wake her up as well. Takuro pulled the shirt on and pushed his hair out of his face before stepping out and moved towards Haruka's door. He knocked on it and blinked in surprise when Mamoru opened the door while pulling a shirt over his head. Behind him, Haruka was still fast asleep.

"Wake up Haruka and come outside." Takuro told him before walking away shaking his head.

XxXxXxX

Maina subconsciously tried to flatten out a tuft of fur on her tail that kept popping up. It eventually stayed down to her satisfaction. She combed her hair out with her fingers and looked around at all of Hinari's informants from the other villages. There was one for each major one from what she could tell. The youngest one was Takeru from Kusa. Not a single one of them had given their family name when introducing themselves. Maina also noted that most of them happened to be women.

"Hinari-san?" Maina asked.

"Yeah?"

"How come most of them are women?"

"Simple, many men of high rank believe women to be stupid whether they are shinobi or not. Therefore they won't notice a female snooping about." Hinari explained.

"I guess that makes sense." Haruka muttered as she came to stand beside Maina. "What are you going to do today?" Haruka asked Hinari.

"They're starting on moving targets today."

"How're you going to do that?" Maina asked her. Hinari did not answer, but instead grinned.

"Listen up guys; you can hit a normal target very well, so we're starting on moving targets." Hinari formed her hands into a seal. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The training area was filled with Hinari replications.

"I'm going to be your target, but to make sure you don't accidentally hit the real me, I'm going to be wearing this around my arm!" Hinari held up a thick white strip of cloth. "This will mark me as the real me, so please, wait until you can see me clearly before pulling the trigger." Hinari tied the white cloth around her arm tightly. It stood out clearly against her black sleeve. "You're limited to this entire area, but try to fire from different locations to give you a better idea of what it will be like later, now get started!" The seven moved out quickly, armed with muskets and extra shots.

"So, why did you bring those things with you?" Takuro asked Hinari.

"In case of emergency." She replied as she watched and listened.

"How much more training do you think they're going to need?"

"Not much more I don't think. We'll be out of here by the end of the week."

"Then what?"

"We go back to Konoha and take it back, that's what."

"You really think twelve people can do that?"

"Yes, if they have Suna behind them and someone on the inside."

"You mean that Oto-nin?"

"No, someone else." Hinari said bring her hand up to her ear to feel the tiny earpiece nestled around the shell of her ear and the even smaller microphone pressed against her cheek.

XxXxXxX

Hyourinmaru rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. He dragged his hand towards the front of his neck and stopped when he felt his hand brush against something familiar. Feeling it, he recognized the earpiece and microphone. 'They never found it?' He was surprised. He pressed his finger to the earpiece and spoke softly. "Shishou, can you hear me?" He asked. All he heard was static, Hinari was out of range. He tried a different frequency. "Natsuhime, do you copy?" For a moment there was silence.

_"I hear you loud and clear Hyourinmaru."_ Natsuhime replied.

"Good, at least now we can talk, but we'd better be careful about it."

_"Right, there's a guard coming."_ There was silence for a minute or so. _"Okay, do you need anything?"_

"Tell me everything you've heard the guards say." Hyourinmaru said confidently. He knew that if there was a chance that Hinari would come to get them out, it would be best to be able to provide her with as much information as was possible. He watched as a small group of guards walked by. He moved farther back into his cell, hiding behind a pair of Hyuuga. Natsuhime spoke quietly to make sure no one could overhear and get them in trouble. Natsuhime finished giving Hyourinmaru her report and fell silent. Hyourinmaru switched frequencies again and listened in for Yukina. There wasn't even static, meaning either it was turned off or not connected to her chakra. 'Shishou, please hurry, for Yukina's sake.' He thought desperately.

XxXxXxX

Hinari was sprawled out on the floor writing in a scroll. She hummed softly to herself as she wrote. She scratched out a word and continued on. The door opened behind her silently, but she made no movement to suggest that she was aware of it.

"Would you quite staring Takuro, you act like you haven't seen a pair of legs before." She said as she finished her writing and rolled the scroll back up. She craned her neck to look back at Takuro. He was blushing slightly at her comment. She still found it amusing that he seemed to be so shy when it came to women.

"Why are you in my room?" He asked finally as Hinari sat up and folded her legs underneath herself.

"You know me, I don't like being on my own for too long." She replied.

"What were you doing there?"

"Writing a letter to a friend of mine in Kusa, I have a small favor to ask her, that's all." Hinari told him. She bit down on her thumb until it bled before smearing a bit on the palm of her hand. She quickly formed a few seals and slapped her palm to the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu." With a pop, a normal sized fox materialized before them.

"Hey Hinari, long time no see."

"It has been a while Machiyo-chan." Hinari scratched the fox underneath her chin. "Can you deliver this to Ogawa-san please?" She asked, holding out the small scroll.

"Sure, just as long as I get a treat afterwards."

"Of course, oh, and stay with her to deliver the good to me, okay?" Hinari added.

"Right-o! You can count on me Hinari." Machiyo clenched the scroll tightly in her mouth. Hinari opened the door for her and the vixen bounded down the hall and away.

XxXxXxX

Ogawa Ayumi gave the forging fires a few pokes to break up the logs of wood in the center. Business had been slow lately, so she saw no point in wasting precious wood for fuel until she would need the fires again. She came to the front of the store where her assistant was counting up the money in the register. Ayumi gave the young man a nod as she walked by and headed for the door, producing a set of keys from her apron pocket to lock the doors up. She inserted a key into the keyhole, but paused at the sight of the fox sitting outside the door, wagging its tale up at her expectantly. She blinked and stared at it for a moment before recognizing the scroll in its mouth.

"Akinori-kun, you can go ahead and go home now, I'll finish that up." She said. He glanced up at her and nodded in compliance. "Also, you can have the next couple of days off." She added as he hung up his own work apron.

"Okay Ogawa-san, I'll see you later then." The boy headed out the back door. Ayumi opened the front door and Machiyo stepped inside. She placed the scroll on the ground and made her way towards the back where the fires were to lay down near the remaining warmth. Ayumi picked up the scroll and opened it up.

_Hi there Ogawa-san! Sorry it's been so long since my last visit, but things have been really crazy lately. I'm sure you've heard by now, but Konoha has fallen at the hands of Orochimaru. Along with a small group of shinobi who made it out of the village, my informants, and with the Kazekage's support, I intend on taking back the village. To do this, I need some supplies from your wonderful weapons shop. First, I'll need twelve head sets, the same I use. And also, I want a personalized gauntlet for a friend of mine. Her hand measurements are below; attach some small blades to the ends of the fingers too. Payment is enclosed, and I won't take "no" for an answer! You will take that money, I owe you, and so I'm paying up now. Can you have this stuff by the end of this week please? Seal it back in this scroll and send it along with Machiyo-chan. Bye, and thank you, Shadowfox._

'Looks like I'll have to get the fires going again sooner than expected.' She thought.

XxXxXxX

Hinari ducked under Haruka's blade smoothly before coming in with her own. Maina jumped in spinning, her long nails swiping at Hinari. Mamoru and Takuro watched the three women spar.

"And we wonder how they get so damn strong in comparison to us." Mamoru remarked.

"Yeah, you wanna jump in?" Takuro asked him, pointing to the three.

"Nah, rather not risk losing a limb." Mamoru chuckled. "We should be heading back to Konoha soon, right?"

"As soon as Hinari says we can." Takuro replied.

"I can't believe we're leaving the future of our village in the hands of a bunch of foreigners." Mamoru muttered, glancing over at all of Hinari's assistants from the other villages. Seeming to hear his comments, Hinari called a stop to the sparring match.

"Not to worry Mamoru, I have a plan for that." She said with a secretive smile. Cupping her hands to her mouth, she called towards the others. "Get over here!" She yelled. The seven came to her and looked at her questioningly.

"What do you want now?"

"Simple, as a security risk to Konoha, I'm gonna have to take precautions that you guys don't go selling secrets about Konoha to your superiors." Hinari told them. "So, line up here." She pointed to a spot at her feet. They did so without hesitation.

"I'm surprised one of them didn't try to run." Haruka murmured.

"What for? Hinari would hut them down and rip 'em up if they did that." Maina said with a grin, revealing long canines.

"Remind me to never ever piss her off." Mamoru said.

"Yeah, you didn't see when she was pissed off back when we were kids. Scary as hell." Takuro told them.

Hinari cut her hand open with a kunai. "Okay, push up your sleeves and try not to flinch. Quickly, before it heals." Takeru went first, pushing the sleeve of his shirt up. Hinari pressed her bleeding palm against his skin and began forming a pattern on his shoulder. Takeru hissed at the feeling, Hinari's blood was mixed with demonic chakra so it stung like a bitch.

"What the hell are you doing?" Takeru asked through gritted teeth.

"This lovely little seal will prevent you from speaking of any of Konoha's secrets." Hinari said in a sing-song voice. She completed the seal and pushed the boy away. "Next!" One by one, they stepped forward and received the seal.

"How long does it remain in effect?"

"Forever," Hinari replied as she sliced her hand open again to continue the process. "I'm very much aware of the fact that there are techniques that can get info out of you even when you're dead, so even after you die, every secret you learn will never ever be discovered. Even if you try to speak willingly, you vocal chords seize up and prevent you from speaking." Hinari fully explained.

"Hmm, who else know you can do this kind of thing?" Haruka asked.

"Just you guys." Hinari told her with a grin. "If this succeeds, I intend on telling Hokage-sama about this."

XxXxXxX

Machiyo bounded through the gate of Suna, gripping a scroll in her mouth. Once through the gate, she paused to sniff out her target. Upon catching the faint scent of lilacs and demon chakra. Following the scent, she came to a training ground and approached Hinari without fear. She placed the scroll down and waited patiently.

"Oh, welcome back Machiyo." Hinari greeted her with a smile. "Thank you very much and here's your treat." Hinari picked up a cloth sack and dumped out the contents, revealing many dead snakes of varying sizes. "I went ahead and removed the fangs to help you out."

"Thanks!" Machiyo grabbed as many as she could and popped away in a cloud of smoke. Hinari grinned and picked up the scroll.

"Now we can really get started on our plan of action." She said as she pulled the scroll open. She swiped a few drops of blood onto the surface and in a pop of smoke, a pile of supplies situated themselves on the ground.

"What exactly is all of this stuff?" Takuro asked her. Hinari knelt over the pile and sifted through it.

"Everyone gets their own earpiece, don't lose it, they aren't cheap." She told them all. Hinari began dealing out all the equipment. "Okay, everyone has one right?" Everyone nodded a yes. "Good, it works by connecting itself to your chakra. There's a tenketsu just behind you ear that it attaches to. Stick it there and I'll move it accordingly." Hinari pushed her hair out of the way and showed them her own ear. "It responds to chakra with different frequency. Every one of us has a different chakra frequency, so, depending on which frequency you want, the earpiece will automatically search out the matching one and connect to it." Hinari paused to see if every was still following her explanation.

"What's that thing?" Haruka asked pointing to the gauntlet still on the ground.

"Ah, this is a gift for Maina-chan here. Maina, give me your left hand please." Maina stepped forward and held out her hand. Hinari picked up the gauntlet and carefully fitted it onto the cat-girl's hand. "Perfect fit, as expected from Ogawa-san. Be careful of those claws Maina, they're laced with a poison that could kill a full grown elephant, so don't scratch yourself with that hand."

"Okay then." Maina studied her new hand intently and flexed the fingers to get a feel of it. "Thanks a lot Hinari-san, I love it!"

"You're welcome." Hinari's eyes swept over the large group. Haruka and Mamoru stood together, Mamoru had one arm wrapped around Haruka's waist as she leaned against his shoulder. Next was Takuro, nearly the spitting image of his father, just with messier hair and green eyes. Beside him was Maina, the former genetic experiment, no doubt she couldn't wait to try her new hand out on one of Orochimaru's henchmen, preferably, his right hand man. After that were her many informants, each from a different village, but united to fight against a common adversary. 'As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' She thought. Takeru was easily the youngest, no older than Hyourinmaru at the most. She knew that once all the final plans were laid out, they would be ready and would succeed.

XxXxXxX

Gaara observed the party of foreigners gathered in the meeting room. Every single one of them looked battle ready and willing. He turned to Hinari who stood beside him.

"You are certain that they can be trusted?" He asked her curiously.

"Yes, just as I'm certain that the sky is blue." She told him. "Shall we get started?"

"That would be advisable." Gaara stepped forward and cleared his throat. The small amount of chatter running around the room halted instantly. "Now that we are all gathered together, we can get started on finalizing our plan of action." He said. "Sit please." Everyone took a seat at the table and settled in. Hinari unrolled a large map of Konoha. It included everything, every building, street, the four gates, and secret passageway.

"Whoa, where'd you get a map like this?" Takuro asked as he leaned over it.

"I made it. I spent my eight years on the streets, I know just about everything there is to know. As business went under, or new buildings were added, I altered my mental map. This is one, I made and updated when I returned. Now, I'm pretty sure that a few buildings won't look the same when we get there, but hopefully it won't look too _bad_." Hinari produced a box of multi-colored pushpins and opened it up.

"Kazekage-sama, how many troops are you willing to spare?" She asked.

"I will be bringing my strongest only, and I too will come with you." Gaara told her.

"Fair enough, can't leave Suna defenseless. You, and your troops will be stationed just outside the walls of the village, waiting in the surrounding forests, you may situate them how you see fit." She said, stabbing a few yellow pushpins into the area marked as the forests. "Though, may I borrow Yasha?"

"Yes, you may." Gaara replied.

"Thank you, now, there's an old warehouse in the business district, that I know for a fact is completely abandoned. It's not too big, but it'll be big enough for us to use as a base for operations."

"We could use the part of the village that used to belong to the Uchiha clan." Takuro volunteered.

"We could, I'm sure there are superstitions about the place, do you know of any?" Hinari asked Takuro. He thought for a little while.

"Just one, that on certain nights you can hear the screams and sobs of a child in there. I went in there once on a dare, freaky place." He said. "There are still bloodstains on the walls." Takuro gave a slight shudder. "Who knew one man could do so much." He murmured.

"We could use it then. The rumors and such should keep unwanted eyes from looking around." Hinari said. She placed a white pin in the dead center of that area marked as the Uchiha district.

"How big was the Uchiha clan?" Mamoru asked.

"Almost as big as the Hyuuga clan. And one man reduced the populace to two in just one night." Takuro said.

"How do you know so much?" One of Hinari's male informants asked. Takuro looked up at him. For a second his eyes flashed, turning blood red and revealing a fully matured Sharingan to the man.

"You're an Uchiha?"

"Yes, the eldest child." Takuro replied before turning to Hinari. "Continue Hinari." Hinari nodded a thanks and went on.

"Unfortunately, a good portion of my plans requires me to know the movements of Orochimaru's men within the village. So, until I get in range of Demolition Drive's earpiece, we'll be flying blind. We move out in two days, so be fully prepared. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded. "Good, you're dismissed for now." One by one, Hinari's informants rose from their seats and left the meeting room.

"Hinari, we will be half a day behind your group. We don't want to make it too obvious of our plans." Gaara said.

"That's fine, but be ready for the signal. Once everything has been settled, I'll relay a message to you to let you know what it is." Hinari told the red-headed man.

XxXxXxX

Takuro blinked once, and then two more times. Hinari had just entered his room again, but there was something different about her. He had noticed it immediately.

"Hinari?"

"What?"

"Did you just get a tattoo?" He asked her. Hinari turned to him and grinned. There it was, decorating her bare left arm, shoulder, and her neck. It was a red and black fox.

"I'm glad you noticed, what do you think of it?"

"It's interesting. Though I'm not too surprised on what it's a tattoo of." Hinari chuckled.

"Well duh, how could I not go with the fox? It matches everything else, my summon contract, my codename, and what's sealed inside me." She poked her stomach. The fox's head was on her neck, and snarling. The rest of it decorated her shoulder, and nine tails raced down her arm. It was mostly black, but was surrounded by red flames.

"Why red flames?"

"Hmm, I was thinking of revolution at the time.

"Why revolution?"

"Well, what we're doing is in a way a revolution. Red is the color of revolution and flames just seemed to be fitting." She told him with a smile.

"I see, don't tell me you'll be getting all poetic later on." He muttered. Hinari heard him a giggled.

"We'll just have to wait and see Takuro." She told him

XxXxXxX

The guards were a buzz with news. Orochimaru was planning something big. Not that any of them knew what it was yet, they were only guards, underlings that didn't deserve to be told. But word had spread quickly through the ranks, and even the prisoners knew, after all guards were guards for a reason, they weren't particularly smart. So it was only natural that they didn't know how to keep their mouths shut when they were supposed to.

Yukina fingered the cloak she wore nervously. The Hyuuga woman who had donated it had managed to turn it into a makeshift dressed. The woman was a retired ANBU who had lost full use of her left leg and lost her ability to continue on as a ninja. She had taken up sewing as a hobby and always kept a needle and thread on her. She'd torn and sewn the cloak until it fit properly and gave Yukina enough freedom of movement, even tearing a slit up the side next to her left leg where her weapon would have been had she had it. Thankfully the guards had grown bored of her and left her alone, but she was still in pain. Certain movements made her lower abdomen throb with pain, and with Satoko's chakra nearly completely sealed, she couldn't run a diagnostic to see what was wrong. Yukina reached up to her ear and felt her earpiece, she had wisely removed it after the first time and hadn't put it back on again until now.

"_Yukina? Are you okay?"_ Hyourinmaru's voice spoke to her.

"I'm okay onii-chan; it doesn't hurt so much anymore."

"_That's good to hear."_ He said with a relieved sigh.

"Do you think Shishou will come?" Yukina asked him.

"_I'd like to believe so. She wouldn't just abandon us like this."_

"I know, we have to believe." Yukina said with firm determination. The other end was silent for a minute longer.

"_Sorry, a guard walked by. I'll talk to you later, okay?" _

"Okay." The connection went dead and Yukina leaned against the wall behind her. She was still afraid, but she tried not to let it show. She really did believe Hinari would come back and save them all. 'Maybe, Shishou is on her way back right now.' She thought. Yukina didn't know just how right she was about that.

**Okay, first off: I'M REALLY, REALLY, REALLY SORRY ABOUT TAKING SO LONG. As soon as school stared, all the creativity was sucked right out of me. But I hope this makes up for it at least. Please don't kill me. Hell, I'm lucky to have finished this, quarter finals start on Wednesday, I'm so dead. Well, please, go ahead, fame me, yell at me, send me death threats, do whatever you want to me I don't care. Thank you for reading these two chapters, please tell me what you thought of them and such and such. Thanks! Preview time!**

_Maina moved quickly and silently. She paused in the shadows of an alley as a pair of Oto-nin passed her by. They looked so much bigger now, but she didn't let that bother her too much. She knew what she had to do. A calico cat sauntered up to her and meowed, slicking his tail in the direction she needed to go. She meowed in thank you and slipped away into the foggy darkness of night, her tail swishing slightly in anticipation. Giving the air a quick sniff, she knew she was approaching her prey. Passing under another shadow, she released the henge and returned to half-human form. She remained crouched on the ground, waiting for the opportune moment. Pushing up the sleeve of her jacket, she revealed the shine of her new gauntlet covered hand. Flexing the fingers, she grinned and stalked towards the building that held her quarry. As she slipped through the door, she returned to cat form and bounded up the steps of the old apartment building. It was easy enough the find the room, and to her luck, the door was open. She slipped in and looked about. _

_There he stood; he was in the kitchen making himself something to eat. She released the transformation silently and stood behind the man. He didn't realize she was there, she could smell his emotions, and he was completely at ease and off guard. Yakushi Kabuto turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of Maina._

_"Y-you!" _

_"Remember me?" She asked as she tugged at the shoulder of her jacket and shirt underneath to reveal her bare shoulder. Branded onto the skin was a number._

_"You were number Thirteen!" He gasped._

_"That's right; Nekozawa Maina is my name now, Yakushi. I hope you're prepared to die." With those words, she lunged forward._


	12. Chapter 12: Of Illusions and Revenge

Shadowfox

Sakura Hanamoto

Chapter 12

Takuro leaned casually against the wall, watching the two drunken guards stumble into the gates of the old Uchiha compound. He grinned, although his father had warned him of the risks of over using the Mangekyou Sharingan, he decided that he could make an exception. Forming a single hand seal, a light breeze seemed to blow him away, meshing the genjutsu perfectly, so the two Oto-nin wouldn't notice it. But they were too drunk to anyway, so it hardly mattered. The pair of men laughed and one fell over. As he slowly got to his feet, he spotted a small bloodstained boy standing in front of him, eye staring blankly.

"Where the hell did this brat come from?" one asked, his words slurred. The boy couldn't be any older than seven, and he tilted his head to the side in a way that only a child could do. Innocence and curiosity now shone in his dark eyes.

"Are you my aniki?" the little boy asked.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" the other guard asked, staring at the boy.

"You're not my aniki are you?" the child's words were hollow, and had no real life behind it. After a moment of silent staring he slowly raised his hand and pointed. "That's my aniki, there." He stated. gradually, the two men turned to see another boy, this one about thirteen year's old standing behind them. He too was stained in blood, but unlike the younger boy, his eyes showed life, though there was more madness in the look than anything else. "Aniki? Will you kill them too, like you did mommy and daddy?" There was only a slight nod in response to the seemingly innocent question. The boy was crying now, but he was crying tears of blood, the two men screamed and backed away, only to run into the older one. A short blade was drawn from a sheath strapped to the boy's back. They attempted to run, screaming as they did, but their screams were quickly silenced as the blade fell upon them.

XxXxXxX

Takuro entered, brushing by Mamoru, grabbing the bottle of sake from the other's hands. He never really liked having to kill people, no matter who they were. But this time, he was more than a little shaken up. After all, he'd just impersonated a younger version of his father and uncle. What made it worse was that a year after his father had killed Itachi, it had come to light that Itachi had never actually abandoned Konoha, or Sasuke. He'd _wanted_ to die by his younger brother's hands. The truth had shaken his father up, and he vowed to make sure something like that would never happen again.

Takuro drank half of the bottle in one go before handing it back to Mamoru. "Thanks, I feel better now," Takuro told him before continuing on. Hinari sat in another room, finalizing plans. Currently she was having a hushed conversation with someone. He waited patiently for her to finish.

"How are Yukina and Natsuhime doing?" she asked quietly.

"Natsuhime's fine, but Yukina…" there was hesitation in the voice on the other end of the earpiece, "…she was raped, multiple times." Hyourinmaru told Hinari. Hinari's hand curled into a fist, and slowly she raised it before slamming it down onto the table, snapping it in half. "The Hyuuga women and Satoko-san are taking care of her. Satoko-san says there might be internal injuries, but she can't be sure until she can perform a proper diagnosis. Don't worry Shishou; I'll make those bitches pay." Hyourinmaru said.

"So will I, Hyourinmaru-kun, so will I," Hinari reassured the boy. "Over and out." She stopped the slight flow of chakra, and sighed. Takuro approached and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"Don't worry Hinari, we'll save them," he told her in a quiet whisper. She only nodded in response. He noticed that her thin frame was quivering ever so slightly. "What's wrong?"

"I feel like I've failed them. I should have been stronger, I should have protected them," Hinari wiped away some tears. "I'm like an older sister to them, but I feel more like their mother, and I couldn't help them." Takuro held her even closer.

"You did your best Hinari, you're only human. There's only so much you can do."

"But what I can do isn't enough! It's not enough to help the people I care about, the people I love," Hinari shifted in Takuro's arms, burying her nose in the crook of Takuro's neck. "I don't want it to happen again, never again." She whispered.

"Then, I promise to make sure that you stay safe in the process," Takuro told her softly, kissing her on the forehead as she fell asleep in his arms.

XxXxXxX

Sasuke sat in the darkest corner of his cell, watching and listening to the guards that walked by. One glance told him that Shikamaru was doing the same thing.

"Oi, Shikamaru, how muck longer do you think we can hold out?" he asked the other quietly.

"Who knows? They're feeding us the bare minimum everyday. At this rate, we won't be strong enough to fight back should we successfully escape. Not to mention, the youngest ones would have it the hardest," Shikamaru stated. For once, he couldn't think any farther ahead than where he already was, and it infuriated him. And he _reall_y needed a smoke.

"I just hope, that the ones who got out of here brought a crap load of soldier pills," said Sasuke as he began to drift off into an uneasy sleep, thoughts of his family plaguing his mind.

XxXxXxX

Satoko ran her fingers through Yukina's hair. The action kept the girl calm and somewhat relaxed. Yukina shifted slightly, turning over onto her side. She was using Satoko's legs as a pillow, her arms wrapped around her bare shoulders to keep herself warm. Looking over the heads of everyone else, only one other person was still sitting upright and awake. Icy teal eyes looked on at her, shining in the dim torch light. She knew it was Hyourinmaru who was watching her.

Satoko met his eyes, and all she could see was anger, anger at the men that hurt his sister, but also, there was gratitude towards the women that helped and protected what was left of his family. The eyes shifted slightly, and then, they were gone, Hyourinmaru deciding that nothing could be achieved through being too tired to do anything. Satoko closed her eyes as well in hopes of some sleep.

XxXxXxX

Arashi paced back in forth in her cell, she was situated just across from a large man by the name of Akimichi Chouji, and he was snoring softly in the darkness. She shook her head, how could anyone be sleeping at a time like this? Although, she was a bit annoyed, she knew that these people, who were so much older and wiser, knew what they were doing, and rest was the best course of action for the time being. With a sigh, she sat down in a corner and shut her eyes.

'You'd better hurry you're ass up Hinari, things aren't going well.' As she fell asleep, her thoughts landed on her son, and she hoped the hyper boy wasn't getting into trouble.

XxXxXxX

Hinari moved silently through the village. It was early morning, and she was taking advantage of the lack of security to assess the damage done to the village. So far, the only real damage was the Hokage tower. It was mostly just a smoking pillar of wood. Quickly scaling what remained of the stairs, she ran inside to see what had been salvaged. Hurrying to the Hokage's office, there wasn't much left. The safes had all been broken into and everything of any value taken. Looking up at the wall beside the large desk, all seven photographs had been burned and ripped up.

'Dad, how different things would have been had you and Mom lived," Hinari thought. There was a loud crash down the hall and loud voices. 'Shit!' Hinari dove into a corner and focused. Her form flickered before it was gone. Three Oto-nin entered the room.

"Huh? I coulda sworn someone was in here," one commented, scratching his head stupidly. Hinari grinned.

'Might as well make the most of it. Foxes aren't tricksters for nothing.' Hinari quietly cleared her throat before speaking, her voice low, easily mimicking the Godaime Hokage's voice.

"You dare defile the Hokage of Konoha?!" she roared. The three jumped, and began looking for the source of the voice. Hinari threw her voice and spoke again. "You pathetic excuses for ninja should just jump out the window." She said. The trio whipped around and looked behind them, but there was nothing there. Hinari lowered her voice another octave.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

"Show myself? Show myself? You three aren't worthy of being in my presence," she bellowed. "You should be bowing to Konoha no Kiroi Senkou." Hinari was doing her best not to laugh. One of them had soiled his pants in fear. 'Sorry Gramps, I couldn't resist.'

"We're not afraid of you! We could take you easily."

Hinari adjusted her voice again before speaking. "Not likely, after all, I don't have the title of Professor for nothing," she spoke in a tone that suggested danger, but was a bit gentle all the same. Finally, one snapped and ran for it. Or rather, he leapt right out the window, taking Hinari's advice easily. The two others ran out the door, tripping under the weakened flooring as they went. One stepped on a plank, and it snapped under his weight, taking them both down. They hit the bottom of the tower with a loud crunch. Hinari flinched only slightly before silently slipping from the room. Keeping the Kitsune Genkaku active as she went.

Hinari came to a few other buildings, the Hyuuga Compound was completely razed to the ground, but for the most part, most of the buildings were mostly intact. At least there would be plenty of windows to use when it came time to put the plan into action. The shinobi from Suna were waiting in the forest surrounding the village. All they were doing now was waiting for Orochimaru to make his move.

XxXxXxX

Maina moved quickly and silently. She paused in the shadows of an alley as a pair of Oto-nin passed her by. They looked so much bigger now, but she didn't let that bother her too much. She knew what she had to do. A calico cat sauntered up to her and meowed, slicking his tail in the direction she needed to go. She meowed in thank you and slipped away into the foggy darkness of night, her tail swishing slightly in anticipation. Giving the air a quick sniff, she knew she was approaching her prey. Passing under another shadow, she released the henge and returned to half-human form. She remained crouched on the ground, waiting for the opportune moment. Pushing up the sleeve of her jacket, she revealed the shine of her new gauntlet covered hand. Flexing the fingers, she grinned and stalked towards the building that held her quarry. As she slipped through the door, she returned to cat form and bounded up the steps of the old apartment building. It was easy enough the find the room, and to her luck, the door was open. She slipped in and looked about.

There he stood; he was in the kitchen making himself something to eat. She released the transformation silently and stood behind the man. He didn't realize she was there, she could smell his emotions, and he was completely at ease and off guard. Yakushi Kabuto turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of Maina.

"Y-you!"

"Remember me?" She asked as she tugged at the shoulder of her jacket and shirt underneath to reveal her bare shoulder. Branded onto the skin was a number.

"You were number Thirteen!" He gasped.

"That's right; Nekozawa Maina is my name now, Yakushi. I hope you're prepared to die." With those words, she lunged forward. Kabuto drew a kunai from the holster at his thigh, and blocked Maina's gauntlet. She hissed and kicked at him. Kabuto leapt back and raised the kunai, while his free hand began to glow with chakra. 'Shousen no Jutsu? I'd better end this before he lands a hit.'

Kabuto rushed in to attack her, but she leapt back easily dodging the swipes of his kunai and hand. Maina ducked under his arms, and came in with a slash of her claws. Four long rips appeared in Kabuto's shirt. She continued to push him back until he was forced to leap out the window.

'Crap! If I'm discovered, the whole plan goes to bat-shit!' Maina leapt after him with incredible speed. Kabuto could only watch as she crashed into him and ripped into his gut with her gauntlet. There wasn't a chance to scream.

Maina landed on a roof, with Kabuto still attached to her claws. Thinking quickly, she spread his arms and legs and pinned them to the roof with kunai. And then, dipping her tail into his insides, she wrote onto the side of the building, just below Kabuto's dead body. With a satisfied flick of her tail, she hurried off before she was discovered.

XxXxXxX

The next morning, the Oto-nin and Iwa-nin were abuzz with conversation. At sunrise, the body of Orochimaru's right hand man had been found. Yakushi Kabuto was dead, and with his corpse – already being picked clean by the crows – came a warning: Snake Beware. A Tempest of Wind and Inferno Approaches. The Fox Comes to Reclaim Her Den.

For Orochimaru, this meant triple the security around the holding cells and all secret entrances into the village. Though, this didn't mean much to Hinari or her group. They easily took out and replaced the guards with themselves for a short time to gather more information.

Hinari herself was rather pleased with Maina's work, and praised her greatly for it. She was also impressed with the creativity of Maina's kill. Things among the enemy remained hectic and chaotic for another four days after Kabuto's death.

XxXxXxX

Hinari paced back and forth. The others watched her, listening to the thoughts she spoke aloud. "He's planning something, I know it," she murmured. "That damned snake is gonna do something now that his favorite bitch is dead. He's knows we're here, so he's gotta do something to keep his men in line. He's got that tongue of his wrapped completely around the Tsuchikage, there's no way that the man's gonna retreat as long as he's got a shot at revenge against Konoha. We need to be ready." With this final statement, Hinari sat down in front of everyone and pulled out her map of Konoha. "Everyone gather around." The large group quickly did so.

"So, you've got something in mind?" Mamoru asked. Hinari nodded.

"Based on what we've gathered, Orochimaru is planning on executing the Hokage, the village elders, and the clan heads. This means, we're going to lose the strongest ninja in the village if we let him go through with it," Hinari looked around at the gathering, noting the look of seriousness on everyone's face. "More than likely, he's going to do it in front of what's left the Hokage Tower, seeing as that area's got the most space, and it's a bit symbolic, considering his goals."

"How are we gonna do this Hinari?" Takuro asked.

"First, Takeru, as you've got the steadiest hands, you'll be firing the first shot. You are to aim for the one wielding the executioner's weapon. No matter what, do not let the Hokage die, do you understand me?" Takeru swallowed and nodded. "Good, now Takuro, do you happen to have any flashy fire techniques on you?"

"Yeah, I created one that should fit your needs," he replied.

"Excellent. As soon as Takeru fires, he'll be in this building here," Hinari pointed to one, "you are to fire off this technique, aim just above where everyone will be standing. Mamoru, Haruka, you are to get down there, free those that are captive, and get Hideki out of there. Take him somewhere safe, and make sure he stays there, got it?" The pair nodded. "Also, I will give you a bag of soldier pills, pass them out to everyone down there to make sure they can fight."

"What about the rest of us?" Maina asked.

"The rest of you are to situate yourselves here, here, and here," she pointed to three different places on the map. Take out every Oto-nin and Iwa-nin you see. Maina, you as soon as you hear the first gun shot, you're gonna blow the doors to the holding cells, sky high. Get in; free everyone except for the civilians, Academy students, and the genin. When you reach the back of the chuunin holding cell, everyone's weapons are being stored there. There are three specific weapons I want you to grab. Have the other chuunin hand out as many of the weapons as quickly as possible."

"Is that it?"

"Basically, however there is a chance that Orochimaru will set the Hachibi on us. If that happens, everyone is to retreat up to the cliffs above the Hokage Monument. Once up there, I will be only one left down in the village to fight. No one is to try to interfere, the amount of youki that will be flying around will be far too great for any of you to withstand. Is that clear?" There were nods all around. "Excellent, Yasha, alert your father, his signal will be Takuro's fire technique." Yasha nodded before getting up and leaving to inform Gaara.

"That's it?" Takuro asked.

"Pretty much, yeah. Once everyone's free to fight, we shouldn't have much difficulty. We've been cutting down the enemy numbers, so by then, Konoha will have the advantage."

"But not everyone will be fit to fight," Mamoru stated.

"That's why everyone's going to get a soldier pill, those things can last up to three days," said Hinari. "As soon as Orochimaru shows his hand, we make our move." She finished, a grin spreading across her face.

XxXxXxX

Sasuke opened his eyes, only to close them again to fight off the bright sun. Wait, what sun? He opened his eyes again and saw that they had been moved outside. 'They' being, the clan leaders, village elders, Konohamaru, and Hideki. All of them were tied to posts in front of the Hokage tower. Orochimaru and his men stood before them. At the end nearest to Orochimaru was Konohamaru, and next to him was a high ranking Oto-nin, he held a large axe in his hands. For a moment, no one spoke, but Orochimaru stepped forward and opened his mouth.

"Let this be a lesson to the Fox, Konoha is mine, these people are mine, and you are nothing! You cannot save them, no matter what you try to do!" He nodded to the Oto-nin who raised the axe. Konohamaru closed his eyes, waiting for the blow, but it never came. Instead, a loud CRACK echoed through the village and the Oto-nin fell to the ground, dead, blood pouring from his head.

It began.

**I know, it's a lot shorter than normal, but that's only because the next chapter begins the epic battle! I wanted to save it for the next chapter. I don't know how many more chapters there'll be, but, we are quickly approaching the end. It took me so long to update because I got distracted by my new Naruto fic, **_**Miru Koto nai**_**. Go read and review it! Oh and there will be no more previews, simply because I'm evil. :D**


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